Eight Canadian authors have been named finalists for the 2015 High Plains Book Awards, based in Montana.

The awards were established in 2006 by the Billings Public Library Board to recognize titles published the year prior and written by authors from and/or that reflect life on the High Plains, which include the north-central U.S. states (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas), as well as the Canadian prairie provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan).

Out of 200 nominated titles in 10 categories, the following Canadian titles were shortlisted in the following five categories:

Art & photography award

• Timothy Long, Dave Margoshes, and Wilf Perreault, eds.; Wilf Perreault; In the Alley/Dans la Ruelle (Coteau Books)

Children’s award

• Cheryl Chad, Back to Batoche (Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing)
• Jean Freeman, Do Trees Sneeze? (Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing)

Culinary award

• Amy Jo Ehman, Out of Old: Saskatchewan Kitchens (MacIntyre Purcell Publishing)

Short fiction award

• Dave Margoshes, God Telling a Joke and Other Stories (Oolichan Books)
• Rolli, I Am Currently Working on a Novel (Tightrope Books)

YA award

• Brenda Baker, Camp Outlook (Second Story Press)
• Regine Haensel, Queen of Fire (Serimuse Books)

The winners will each be honoured with a $500 prize at an awards banquet on Oct. 3 at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Montana.