Happy Holidays from the Giller Prize!

December 18, 2024

Dearest friends,

As we bid farewell to a tumultuous 2024 and welcome the promise of a new year, let’s remember the good things. And they were plentiful, especially in the world of Canadian literature.

This year, we celebrated more than three decades of honouring the finest in Canadian fiction. Twenty-twenty-four ushered in a riot of new and sensational literary voices, animating worlds that exploded onto the page. Now more than ever, we need literature that inspires, compels, challenges, entertains, and engages. How better to learn about each other than to read about each other?

Our Craving CanLit feature showcased the depth and breadth of the Canadian literary scene in 2024. Well over 200 books were published in Canada between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024 – a testament to the vibrancy of the Canadian literary scene.

We hosted Giller Book Clubs with wonderful attendance and engagement. We will return in 2025 with more book clubs featuring the 2024 longlisted authors to keep championing these incredible authors and their work.

We took this year’s finalists to New York and Los Angeles for readings and interviews at the consulates. Both stops were standing room only, new friends were made and many connections were forged.

Please enjoy some photo treasures from this year’s ceremony. The room was full and alive with writers, publishers, booksellers and book lovers celebrating a common cause.

The Giller Foundation continues to expand its work into communities where the need for learning and literature is greatest, and to help foster the next generation of readers and writers. This year we inaugurated the Giller Mantella Scholarship, presented by Mantella Corporation. The scholarship is for Black, Indigenous and racialized students furthering their studies in creative writing and literary arts at the university level. The scholarship awarded $10,000 each to three students. We congratulate the winning recipients and wish them well on their creative journeys. Applications for next year’s scholarship will open in March 2024.

Thank you for your support, feedback, and passion for the Giller Foundation and for the Giller Prize.
Please stay safe and have a wonderful holiday season. Peace be upon us.

Warmest regards,
Elana Rabinovitch