2025 Alberta Book Publishing Awards winners
The Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) handed out the annual Alberta Book Publishing Awards at a gala reception in Calgary on Sept. 18.
The event also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the association, which was established in 1975 to develop a provincial publishing industry. The BPAA has 23 member publishers that are owned and operated in Alberta. It provides advocacy, resources, and information-sharing for members, as well as professional development and marketing support for Alberta publishers, and coordinates the Alberta Book Publishing Awards.
“Over the past 50 years, the BPAA spearheaded innovative projects that increased access to and awareness of Alberta books. The Best of the West, Books from Home, and Read Alberta Books collective marketing initiatives highlighted the breadth of books published in Alberta, while programs like the groundbreaking Read Alberta and Prairie Indigenous eBook Collections provided Alberta libraries with Alberta-published eBooks,” BPAA director Megan Bishop said at the event. “The BPAA was also the first regional book publishing association to work with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind to create DAISY accessible audiobooks and it has continued to be a leader in accessible publishing with the launch of the Accessible Alberta: eBooks for Everyone Collection.”
“Celebrating this significant milestone, during a time when publishers are experiencing prolonged financial precarity despite their resourcefulness, offers a powerful moment to reflect on the vital role of the association. It takes a whole community of dedicated people to create and sustain what happens in the Alberta publishing world, even in spite of impossible odds.”
The Alberta Book Publishing Awards, which encompass trade and academic publishing and include design awards, celebrate the best in publishing in 12 categories. NeWest Press came away with the most awards, winning for best poetry, trade nonfiction, and mystery and thriller titles. Shout Kill Revel by Jarret Hartnell, published by Renegade Arts Entertainment, received three awards: best graphic novel, the Douglas Barbour Award for Speculative Fiction, and for book illustration.
In addition to the book awards, the Lifetime Achievement in Alberta Publishing Award was presented to former BPAA executive director Kieran Leblanc for “her exceptional leadership and innovation.” Leblanc stepped down from her role in spring 2025 after a 16-year tenure. “Kieran’s contributions to the publishing industry will have a lasting and profound impact,” the BPAA said.
The award winners are:
Trade Fiction Book of the Year
- Art of Camouflage by Sara Power (Freehand Books)
Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry
- Attic Rain by Samantha Jones (NeWest Press)
Trade Non-Fiction Book of the Year
- Laser Quit Smoking Massage by Cole Nowicki (NeWest Press)
Graphic Novel of the Year
- Shout Kill Revel by Jarret Hartnell (Renegade Arts Entertainment)
Mystery and Thriller Book of the Year
- Bronco Buster: A “Hammerhead” Jed Mystery by A.J. Devlin (NeWest Press)
Regional Book of the Year
- The Art of Making: Rediscovering the Blackfoot Legacy by Jared Tailfeathers (Durvile & UpRoute)
Douglas Barbour Award for Speculative Fiction
- Shout Kill Revel by Jarret Hartnell (Renegade Arts Entertainment)
- Common Clinical Presentations by Dr. Christopher Naugler (Brush Education)
Scholarly and Academic Book of the Year
- Indigenous Legalities, Pipeline Viscosities: Colonial Extractivism and Wet’suwet’en Resistance by Tyler McCreary (University of Alberta Press)
- Shout Kill Revel by Jarret Hartnell (Renegade Arts Entertainment)
Book Cover Design of the Year
- Juiceboxers by Benjamin Hertwig; design by Natalie Olsen / Kisscut Design (Freehand Books)
- Every Night I Dream I’m a Monk, Every Night I Dream I’m a Monster by Damian Tarnopolsky; design by Natalie Olsen / Kisscut Design (Freehand Books)
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