The 31st annual Hamilton Literary Awards
The Hamilton Literary Awards is an annual program proudly presented in partnership with Hamilton Arts Council, gritLIT: Hamilton’s Readers and Writers Festival and Hamilton Public Library to recognize and celebrate published authors from the Greater Hamilton Area (GHA) and Six Nations of the Grand River.
We are elated to announce that the 31st Annual Hamilton Literary Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, December 12th at 7:00PM at Hamilton Public Library's Central Branch. This year’s host will be Lishai Peel, a Hamilton based writer, spoken word artist and community-engaged consultant with over a decade of experience working in the arts and culture sector. Lishai is currently the City of Hamilton’s first Poet in Place.
Join us in celebrating the 2024 Shortlist for the Hamilton Literary Awards. Award recipients will be announced live during the Ceremony!
The shortlisted books for each category are:
Fiction
Chrysalis by Anuja Varghese
The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan
Pebble & Dove by Amy Jones
Non-Fiction
The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World's Oceans by Laura Trethewey
Imagining Imagining: Essays on Language, Identity and Infinity by Gary Barwin
My Body Is Distant by Paige Maylott
Poetry
Adventurize Your Summer! by Chris Pannell
Barcode by Eddie Lartey
Beneath My Skin by Larissa Benfey
Children’s Literature
The Care and Keeping of Grandmas by Jennifer Mook-Sang
More than Words: Navigating the Complex World of Communication
by Natalie Hyde and Valerie Sherrard
Other Words for Nonno by Dave Cameron
Kerry Schooley Book Award
The Great Outer Dark by David Neil Lee
Imagining Imagining: Essays on Language, Identity and Infinity by Gary Barwin
To Refrain from Embracing by Jeffrey Luscombe
Program Priorities
About Kerry Schooley
Eligibility
To be eligible in the Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry and Children’s Literature categories an entry must be:
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a published book of literary merit with an ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
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a minimum of forty-eight (48) bound pages (children’s books may be shorter)
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children's literature includes books intended for children up to twelve (12) years of age (Young Adult (YA) novels are books intended for those between 12-18 years of age and not categorized in children's literature)
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published within the previous calendar year between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023
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written by (an) author(s) who resides or makes their contribution in the Greater Hamilton Area (including: Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook, Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Waterdown) or Six Nations of the Grand River for a minimum of twelve (12) consecutive months up to the time of the submission deadline
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anthologies are eligible; however, the editor(s) of the anthology and at least 50% of the contributors must meet residency requirements.
Author(s) must have an Artist/Creative account, accompanied by a visible public profile, on The Arty Crowd website (www.theartycrowd.ca). The Arty Crowd is free for Artists/Creatives of any practice.
All of the above criteria apply for submissions to be considered for the Kerry Schooley Book Award, with the exception that the author/co-authors may not be current residents of the GHA or Six Nations of the Grand River, but will have lived here for a portion of their life. Submissions to the Kerry Schooley Book Award do not require an Arty Crowd profile.
Ineligible entries include:
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translations
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books written by authors who are deceased at the time the title was submitted to the program
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ghostwritten books
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manuscripts
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textbooks, catalogues, cookbooks, reference books, academic publications, technical manuals, self-help books
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reprints or re-publications of titles originally published at an earlier date
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books submitted by elected representatives of the Greater Hamilton Area
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books submitted by Hamilton Arts Council staff and volunteers
If you require accommodations with your submission to the Hamilton Literary Awards, please email coordinator@hamiltonartscouncil.ca.