2026 Alberta Book Publishing Award-winning titles

The Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) presented the annual Alberta Book Publishing Awards winners at a gala in Edmonton on Sept. 17.

The awards, which encompass trade and academic publishing and include design awards, celebrate the best in Alberta publishing.

In addition to the various book awards announced, Freehand Books was named Mel Hurtig Publisher of the Year.

Lifetime Achievement in Alberta Publishing Awards were presented to two individuals: Kathy Killoh of Athabasca University Press and Jean Poulin, founder of Les Éditions Duval. Killoh, who has served as acting director at AU Press three times, was honoured for her leadership and contributions to open-access publishing and Duval was recognized for his decades-long career as activist, graphic designer, francophone leader, and pioneering publisher.

The winners are:

Trade Fiction Book of the Year

• Graveyard Shift at the Lemonade Stand by Tim Bowling (Freehand Books)

 Trade Non-Fiction Book of the Year

• How to Breathe Water by Sharon Butala (Freehand Books)

Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry

• There’s Magic Here Too: A Trans Woman’s Guide to Being Monstrous by Skylar Kay (Frontenac House)

Douglas Barbour Award for Speculative Fiction

• The Longest Night by Lauren Carter (Freehand Books) Review

Mystery and Thriller Book of the Year

• Blood and Fire by Bill Slavin (Renegade Arts Entertainment)

Children’s and Young Adult Book of the Year

• Howdy, I’m Singh Hari by Kelly Kaur and Ravina Kaur Toor, ill. (Red Barn Books)

Graphic Novel of the Year

• The Last Band on Earth by Elaine M. Will (Renegade Arts Entertainment)

Scholarly and Academic Book of the Year

• Cartographic Poetry: Examining Historic Blackfoot and Gros Ventre Maps by Ted Binnema, François Lanoë, and Heinz W. Pyszczyk (University of Alberta Press)

Regional Book of the Year

• Cruising the Downtown: Celebrating Edmonton’s Queer History by The Edmonton Queer History Project by Kristopher Wells, ed. (NeWest Press)

• Elements of Indigenous Style, 2nd Ed. by Gregory Younging; Warren Cariou, Deanna Reder, Lorena Sekwan Fontaine, and Jordan Abel eds. (Brush Education)

Book Illustration of the Year

• The Last Band on Earth by Elaine M. Will (Renegade Arts Entertainment)

Book Cover Design of the Year

• Canada Unscripted: Conversations with Canadian Media Icons by Vic Sarin, ed.; designed by Austin Andrews (Durvile & UpRoute)

Book Design of the Year

• Cruising the Downtown: Celebrating Edmonton’s Queer History by The Edmonton Queer History Project by Kristopher Wells, ed.; designed by Natalie Olsen, Kisscut Design (NeWest Press)

Mel Hurtig Publisher of the Year

• Freehand Books

Lifetime Achievement in Alberta Publishing Award

• Jean Poulin
• Kathy Killoh

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