Saskatchewan Book Awards

On February 16, 2012, the shortlists for the annual Saskatchewan Book Awards were announced at the University of Regina.

Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada that has a provincially-focused book award program i.e., one representing Saskatchewan's writing and publishing contributions. With an impressive community of over 300 authors and 75 book publishers, Saskatchewan has much to celebrate and promote.

Established in 1993 by the joint efforts of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, the Saskatchewan Publishers Group and the Saskatchewan Library Association, the Awards have grown from four to fourteen, although the specific awards vary year to year.

This year, the Saskatchewan Book Awards announced its short lists in thirteen award categories:

• Scholarly Writing Award
• First People’s Writing Award
• Saskatoon Book Award
• Regina Book Award
• Award for Poetry
• First Book Award
• Children’s Literature Award
• Fiction Award
• Non-fiction Award
• Book of the Year Award
• First People’s Publishing Award
• Publishing in Education Award
• Award for Publishing

Congratulations to all nominees.  As we are CanLit for LittleCanadians, we'd like to honour those nominated for the Children's Literature Award:

• Adele Dueck, Racing Home (Coteau)
• Leah M. Dorion; Rita Flamand, trans., Relatives with Roots: A Story About Métis Women’s Connection to the Land (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Alison Lohans, Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn)
• Anne Patton, Full Steam to Canada: A Barr Colony Adventure (Coteau)
• Judith Silverthorne, The Secret of the Stone Circle (Coteau)
• Alison Uitti, First Days: Night Movies (Hear My Heart Books)

I'd also like to recognize those children's and YA titles that have been nominated for other Saskatchewan Book Awards.
 
For the Saskatoon Book Award:

• Beverly Brenna, Waiting for No One (Red Deer Press)

For the Regina Book Award:

• Alison Lohans, Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn Press)

For the Fiction Book Award:

• Arthur Slade, Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments III (HarperCollins Canada)

For the Publishing in Education Award:

• Penny Draper, Ice Storm: Disaster Strikes #6 (Coteau)

The Saskatchewan Book Awards will be presented on April 28, 2012 at a gala ceremony in Regina.