Victoria author Monique Gray Smith has won CODE’s Burt Award for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Literature for her YA novel Tilly, a Story of Hope and Resilience (Sono Nis Press). The $12,000 award, which recognizes “outstanding literary works for young adults written by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit authors,” was presented Sept. 27 at a gala in Winnipeg.

Thomas King took home second prize ($8,000) for The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America (Doubleday Canada), and third place ($5,000) went to Bev Sellars for They Called Me Number One (Talonbooks.)

A minimum of 2,500 copies of each title will be delivered to community libraries, schools, friendship centres, and literacy camps.