Five books have been shortlisted for the 2025 Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic.

This year marks a return of the annual $3,000 award after a four-year hiatus. Jurors Natalee Caple, Geoff Ryman, and Lorina Stephens selected the nominees from the 78 books submitted.

The shortlisted books were chosen from a longlist announced last month.

The shortlisted books are:

• Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet (McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada)
• Bird Suit by Sydney Hegele (Invisible Publishing)
• Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson (Saga Press/Simon & Schuster)
• Code Noir by Canisia Lubrin (Knopf Canada/Penguin Random House Canada)
• A Seal of Salvage by Clayton B. Smith (Breakwater Books)

The winner will be announced in the fall.