George Abbott (Nadine Pedersen)

The winner of the inaugural Al and Eurithe Purdy BC Award for Excellence was announced on Aug. 13 at the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

Abbott, the current Chief Commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission, won for his book Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now (UBC Press), which “chronicles more than 150 years of BC-Indigenous relations and the failure to resolve Aboriginal title.”

The $5,000 award, administered by the festival, recognizes “an outstanding book of fiction or non-fiction written by a British Columbia author and traditionally published by a B.C.-based publisher.”

Unceded “should be required reading for all British Columbians,” said the jury, comprised of authors Brian Thomas Isaac and Kara Stanley, and Colleen Hourigan, a retired educator and SCFWA board member. “It is a timely and meticulously drawn chronology of the historical injustices imposed by the government of BC, clearly demonstrating how current debates regarding First Nations’ rights and land titles are the direct result of a series of policy decisions by key government officials beginning in the mid-19th century…. This is a book of both impressive archival research and profound relevance for the contemporary challenges faced in creating a better, more just, future.”

The other two shortlisted titles were One Arrow Left: The Memoir of Secwépemc Knowledge Keeper Cecilia DeRose by Cecilia DeRose with Sage Birchwater (Caitlin Press), and Rufous and Calliope by Sarah Louise Butler (Douglas & McIntyre).

“I was extremely pleased with the response to the first Purdy BC Award for Excellence,” said Eurithe Purdy in the press release. “The shortlist was exceptional, and Unceded is a worthy winner. My congratulations to all concerned.”

The new prize, created with a $150,000 endowment from Purdy, and the first shortlist were announced in June 2026.