Bookseller Ben McNally.

Longtime independent bookseller Ben McNally has been named the recipient of the 2026 Ivy Award.

McNally will be presented with the award on Oct. 28 at an event during the upcoming Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA).

The award, now in its 15th year, is granted annually by the International Visitors (IV) Programme in association with TIFA, to someone who has made a substantial contribution to Canadian publishing.

McNally has been a bookseller since 1969, when his career in books started at Coles, where became a buyer before he moved on to management roles at Toronto bookstores The Book Cellar, Book City, and Nicholas Hoare. In 2007, McNally opened his eponymous bookstore in downtown Toronto – a space that quickly became a favourite for the city’s readers. In 2020, the store relocated twice before finding a permanent home. In 2025, two of McNally’s children, Rupert and Danielle, took over operational responsibility for the store, though McNally, who is recovering from knee surgery, does not consider himself retired.

“From authors and publishers to festivals and booksellers, we all work for something we fiercely believe in: the power of books and stories to change lives,” Ivy Award jury chair and TIFA artistic director Roland Gulliver said in a press release. “This year’s Ivy Award winner, Ben McNally, encapsulates this belief. Over decades, he has worked tirelessly to champion books and writers through his bookstore, wherever the location. He is a beloved figure in the book community who turns out, whether rain, shine or snow, to make sure the best books find their readers.”

McNally was selected for this year’s award by a jury comprised of literary agent and IV committee co-chair Carolyn Forde, director of the Centre for Creativity at the University of Toronto’s Victoria University Adam Sol, The Walrus senior editor Samia Madwar, Globe and Mail arts editor Judith Pereira, last year’s winner and Kegedonce Press publisher Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, and jury chair, TIFA artistic director and CEO Roland Gulliver.