Fourteen Canadian books have been longlisted for the 2026 Giller Prize, bringing a mix of veteran novelists and nine first-time nominees into contention for the country’s $100,000 fiction award, according to announcements made by prize organizers. The longlist was selected by a nine-member jury panel of independent booksellers representing all five regions of Canada, who reviewed more than 140 works submitted by Canadian publishers.
Veteran Contenders and First-Time Nominees
According to reports from The Canadian Press, five former Giller nominees secured spots on this year’s long list. Newfoundland author Wayne Johnston earned a longlist appearance for a record-tying sixth time with his tragicomic novel The Novice of Holloway Hall. The book follows a young woman returning home from a convent in the 1930s after failing to become a nun. Patrick deWitt secured his fourth nomination for his upcoming novel Dodge City, which details a young draft dodger’s drug-fuelled road trip during the Vietnam War.
Additional past nominees named to the list include Michelle Good for her multi-generational family saga Eliza Sunshine, Colin McAdam for his modern retelling of the Greek classic Daphnis and Chloe, and Cordelia Strube for her portrait of a single parent titled At Sea in a Sieve. Elana Rabinovitch, the executive director of the Giller Prize, stated in a news release that the selections reflect the rich landscape of Canadian fiction published this year.
The long list also features nine authors recognized by the prize for the first time:
- Jennifer Chevalier for her fiction debut The Winter Witch
- Patricia Finn for her novel The Golden Boy
- Tara Gereaux for Wild People Quiet
- Hollay Ghadery for The Unravelling of Ou
- Nicholas Herring for Your Breath in Charcoal
- Nazanine Hozar for The Small Ones
- Mai Nguyen for the darkly humorous Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead
- Lisa Robertson for Riverwork
- Patmeena Sabit for her national bestseller Good People
Jury Perspective and Cultural Context
In a joint statement released with the longlist, the nine-member independent bookseller jury remarked on the thematic core of the selected works. “These authors grapple with our collective history with humour, openness, and compassion, fearlessly chronicling our challenges, our tragedies and our triumphs,” the jury stated, adding that at a time when national cultural identity faces testing, reading and reflecting on domestic stories is paramount.
The announcement follows a period of financial restructuring for the literary award. In 2023, hundreds of book workers and past winners boycotted the prize over objections to its former title sponsor, Scotiabank, whose subsidiary held shares in an arms manufacturer. Scotiabank and the Giller parted ways in February 2025, and the boycott concluded in April after the advocacy group CanLit Responds confirmed the prize had severed ties with the contested sponsor.
To address recent financial vulnerabilities, the Giller Prize announced last month that it received a $4 million multi-year gift from the Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation. This follows a $1 million contribution made quietly by the Weston family a year prior. In response to industry backlash, organizers also established a new advisory council called the Giller Prize Writers’ Circle to support the literary community.
Upcoming Milestones
The selection process moves next to the shortlist phase, which organizers scheduled to be announced on October 5. The winner of the $100,000 prize—with shortlisted finalists receiving $10,000 each—will be named during a televised ceremony scheduled for November 16.
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