2023 WINNER

Sarah Bernstein
Study for Obedience

2023 Broadcast

On November 13, 2023, Sarah Bernstein was named the winner of the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel, Study for Obedience, published by Knopf Canada, taking home $100,000 courtesy of Scotiabank.

2023 Shortlist

The 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize jury announced the shortlist on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. The five titles were chosen from a longlist of 12 books announced on September 6, 2023.

Study for Obedience book coverSarah Bernstein headshot
Birnam Wood by Eleanor CattonEleanor Catton headshot
The Double Life of Benson by Kevin ChongKevin Chong headshot
The Islands by Dionne IrvingDionne Irving headshot
All the Colour in the World by CS RichardsonCS Richardson headshot

2023 Longlist

The 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize jury announced its longlist on Wednesday, September 6, 2023.

Away from the Dead book coverDavid Bergen headshot
Study for Obedience book coverSarah Bernstein headshot
Birnam Wood by Eleanor CattonEleanor Catton headshot
The Double Life of Benson by Kevin ChongKevin Chong headshot
The Clarion book coverNina Dunic headshot
We Meant Well by Erum Shazia HasanErum Shazia Hasan headshot
The Islands by Dionne IrvingDionne Irving headshot
Wait Softly Brother by Kathryn KuitenbrouwerKathryn Kuitenbrouwer headshot
The Rooftop Garden by Menaka Raman-WilmsMenaka Raman-Wilms headshot
All the Colour in the World by CS RichardsonCS Richardson headshot
We Have Never Lived on Earth by Kasia Van SchaikKasia Von Schaik headshot
Girlfriend on Mars by Deborah WillisDeborah Willis headshot

Of the 2023 longlist, the jury writes:

The 2023 Scotiabank Giller longlist features a party of Canadian literature! Short story collections mingle with novels, established writers with emerging ones. Writers from various parts of the country and beyond its borders share the list together. They discuss family, friendships, the climate crisis, war, privilege, good intentions. Neat, quiet, intimate, introverted stories of relationships brush against loud messy globetrotting stories. These books made the jury think about them long afterward; sometimes they haunted us, sometimes they were like earworms we couldn’t stop singing. Stylistically, they dressed up, they stripped down. They were drunk with life, they were sobering. They pushed pleasure on us even while they occasionally provoked and puzzled us. This longlist is unafraid of being censored or misunderstood. The writers ask for our patience and sophistication; they stand up against all threats, AI included, and remind us of the unmatchable power of the human imagination.

2023 Jury

The Scotiabank Giller Prize is pleased to announce the award-winning, five-member jury panel for the 2023 Prize.

Sharon Bala

Sharon Bala

Brian Thomas Isaac

Brian Thomas Isaac

Rebecca Makkai

Rebecca Makkai

Neel Mukherjee

Neel Mukherjee

Ian Williams

Ian Williams

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