The Newfoundland and Labrador Art Council has announced a six-book longlist for the 2023 BMO Winterset Award.

The $12,500 annual award celebrates excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador writing in any genre. This year, there were 49 entries.

The longlisted titles are:

• A Queer History of Newfoundland by Rhea Rollmann (Engen Books)
• The Adversary by Michael Crummey (Knopf Canada)
• Hollow Bamboo by William Ping (HarperCollins)
• Message in a Bottle: Ocean Dispatches from a Seabird Biologist by Holly Hogan (Knopf Canada)
• Mudflowers by Aley Waterman (Dundurn Press)
• Optic Nerve by Matthew Hollett (Brick Books)

The award was established in 2000. Previous winners include Kathleen Winter, Megan Gail Coles, and last year’s winner, Shelly Kawaja.