Calling all lovers of literature—writers in particular!
The City of Victoria is now accepting submissions for their 2024 Butler Book Prize and Children’s Book Prize.
The deadline to submit is Friday, May 24th and the winners will be announced and celebrated at a gala event this fall—each prize includes a $5,000 cash award!
In terms of details, the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize will be awarded to a local author for the best book of fiction, literary nonfiction or poetry.
This prize was established in 2004 and is a partnership between the City and Brian Butler of Butler Brothers Supplies.
Previous winners of this award include globally renowned poet Lorna Crozier for her book The House the Spirit Builds; novelist, essayist and short fiction writer Pauline Holdstock for Confessions with Keith; and two-time Giller Prize winner Esi Edugyan for Out of the Sun: On Race and Storytelling.
As for the City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize, this is awarded to an author or illustrator for children/youth.
The prize was initially established in 2008 and funded by the late Mel Bolen of Bolen Books, and has been sponsored by the City of Victoria since 2020.
Previous winners of the youth and children’s prize includes prolific multi-genre author Mark Leiren-Young for his book Orcas Everywhere; illustrator Julie McLaughlin for her work in Little Pine Cone; and Indigenous author and anthropologist Wendy Proverbs for Aggie and Mudgy: The Journey of Two Kaska Dena Children.
In order to be eligible for the prizes, your books must have been published between April 1st, 2023 and March 31st, 2024.
If you’re outside of these dates, just keep an eye out and apply next year!
It must be new work, not a reissue or revision of a previously published work.
For the full list of guidelines and submission forms, you can visit the Victoria Book Prizes website.
To view a full list of previous winners, you can visit the City of Victoria’s page dedicated to the Victoria Book Prizes.
