2025 Victoria Book Pizes finalists

The Victoria Book Prize Society has announced the shortlist for the inaugural DC Reid Poetry Book Prize. The $5,000 prize is awarded to a writer from the Capital Regional District for the best book of poetry published in the previous year.

The shortlisted titles are:

• Water Quality by Cynthia Woodman Kerkham (McGill-Queen’s University Press)
• Midway by Kayla Czaga (House of Anansi Press)
• Signal Infinities by Melanie Siebert (McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada)

The City of Victoria Book Prize, awarded to a writer from the Capital Regional District for the best book published in the categories of fiction and non-fiction and the City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize, awarded to an author or illustrator for the best book for youth were also announced. These prizes also award $5,000 each to the winners.

City of Victoria Book Prize finalists are:

• Little Fortified Stories by Barbara Black (Caitlin Press)
• More Richly in Earth: A Poet’s Search for Mary MacLeod by Marilyn Bowering (McGill-Queen’s University Press)
• Signs of Life: Field Notes from the Frontlines of Extinction by Sarah Cox (Goose Lane Editions)

City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize finalists are :

• Birds on the Brain by Uma Krishnaswami (Groundwood Books) 
• What Makes a Bird by Megan Pomper (Maia Hoekstra, ill.) (Owlkids)
• Why We Need Vaccines: How Humans Beat Infectious Diseases by Rowena Rae (Paige Stampatori, ill.) (Orca Book Publishers)

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Government House on Nov. 18.