Finalists have been announced for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. Each finalist will receive $6,000 and the winner will receive $60,000. The ceremony will be held on May 27 in a virtual ceremony hosted by Jennifer Hollett, the executive director of The Walrus, and will feature guest speaker Lawrence Hill.

The finalists include the first major awards nod for Flying Books, which was recognized for its first publication, Marlowe Granados’s Happy Hour. HarperCollins has two nominations, as does Vancouver independent Arsenal Pulp Press. Two of the finalists, Francesca Ekwuyasi and Michelle Good, were also announced as finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Award on May 4.

The jury is composed of authors Michael Kaan, Kagiso Lesego Molope, Laurie Petrou, and Danny Ramadan. The award is presented by the Walrus Foundation.

• Butter Honey Pig Bread, Francesca Ekwuyasi (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• Five Little Indians, Michelle Good (Harper Perennial/HarperCollins)
• Happy Hour, Marlowe Granados (Flying Books)
• You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked., Sheung-King (Book*hug Press)
• Gutter Child, Jael Richardson (Harper Avenue/HarperCollins)
• Vanishing Monuments, John Elizabeth Stintzi (Arsenal Pulp Press)

The winner of the Youth Short Story category, for writers age 13 to 17, will also be announced during the ceremony. The winner will receive $5,000 and a mentorship lunch with editors of The Walrus.