The shortlists for the 2025 Alberta Literary Awards have been announced by the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.

The awards celebrate literary excellence by Alberta authors.

Teresa Wong, Amy Lin, and Julie Sedivy all received multiple nominations.

The winners will be announced at the Alberta Literary Awards Gala in Calgary on June 6. The Golden Pen Award for lifetime achievement will also be presented at the gala to Richard Harrison.

Wilfrid Eggleston Award for Nonfiction

• Patricia Cucman (and Stanley Munn), To See What He Saw: J.E.H. MacDonald and the O’Hara Years, 1924-1932 (Figure 1 Publishing)
• Amy Lin, Here After: A Memoir (Zibby Books)
• Teresa Wong, All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey  (Arsenal Pulp Press)
  

Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction

• Kirti Bhadresa, An Astonishment of Stars (ECW Press)
• Marion Douglas, The Game of Giants (Freehand Books)
• Natalie Sue, I Hope This Finds You Well (HarperCollins)

Memoir Award

• Amy Lin, Here After: A Memoir (Zibby Books)
• Julie Sedivy, Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love (Farrar Strauss, & Giroux/Macmillan Publishers)
• Teresa Wong, All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey  (Arsenal Pulp Press)

The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize

• David Martin, Limited Verse (University of Calgary Press)
• Julie Sedivy, Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love (Farrar Strauss, & Giroux/Macmillan Publishers)
• Teresa Wong, All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey  (Arsenal Pulp Press)

R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature (Illustrated)

• Lorna Shultz Nicholson (Ellen Rooney, ill.), What to Bring (Owlkids)
• Cristina Quintero (Sarah Gonzales ill.), The Only Way to Make Bread (Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada)
• Tonya Simpson (Delreé Dumont ill.), This Land Is a Lullaby (Orca Book Publishers)

Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Book of Poetry

• Rayanne Haines, What Kind of Daughter? (Frontenac House)
• Samantha Jones, Attic Rain (NeWest Press)
• Cristalle Smith, Invisible Lives (University of Calgary Press)

Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama

• Tara Beagan, Ministry of Grace (Scirocco Drama)
• Fran Kimmel, Eden
• Nicole Moeller, The Resurrection of Dottie Reed

James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction

• Marcello Di Cintio, “In the Footsteps of Migrants Who Never Made It” (The Walrus)
• Myrna Garanis, “Green Rivers Louching” (The Prairie Journal)
• Omar Mouallem, “War For Drugs” (Maclean’s)

Howard O’Hagan Short Story Award

• Nicole Boyce,“Rat King” (The Dalhousie Review)
• E.C. Dorgan, “Gusher” (Hexagon)
• Ben Lof, “The Triller”

Jon Whyte Memorial Unpublished Essay Award

• Katherine Abbass, “Grapeful”
• Lareina Abbott, “Laid Bear”
• Diana Davidson, “Threads of the Night Watch”

The Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize shortlist is to be announced separately.

Correction, April 1, 2025: The article has been updated with the correct spelling of Kirti Bhadresa.