January 12, 2026 (Toronto, ON) – The Giller Prize is proud to announce its first-ever jury composed exclusively of independent Canadian booksellers. Representing Canada’s North, West Coast, the Prairies, Central Canada, and the Maritimes, this jury represents five of the country’s greatest champions of Canadian literature–and a radical reimagining of the Giller Prize’s selection process.

“As CanLit’s frontline workers, independent booksellers play a vital role in platforming Canadian authors, fostering literary community, and bringing new publications to Canadian readers. Representing eight different provinces and territories, these five booksellers will ensure a pan-Canadian, “people’s choice” sensibility in determining this year’s best works of Canadian fiction.”
– Elana Rabinovitch, Executive Director, Giller Prize

With locations in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, Bookmark is represented on the jury by Dan MacDonald and Lori Cheverie.

Dan has owned the Bookmark bookstores in Charlottetown, PEI, and Halifax, NS, since 2014. He added a third location in 2023 with the purchase of Westminster Books in Fredericton, NB, making Bookmark a true Maritime business. His financial management, business development, and marketing experiences have given him a skill set that has served his bookstores well. Dan is married to Marlene, and together they have six children.

Lori has worked at Bookmark, Charlottetown, for 35 years (over 25 as manager, accounts manager, and book buyer). She has been on the executive of the Atlantic Booksellers’ Association in various roles and is a founding board member and current director at Canadian Independent Booksellers’ Association, acting as secretary and chair of the supply chain committee. Lori has juried the Prince Edward Island Book Awards, the Hackmatack Awards and is on the Publications Committee of the Island Studies Press. She is married to Steve and together they have two boys.

From Ben McNally Books (Toronto, Ontario), Danielle and Rupert McNally join Dan and Lori on the jury.

Danielle studied social work and has a Master’s Degree in sociology. She was the driving force behind the “In Her Voice” Events Series, and she managed annual festivals before the pandemic. She now co-manages Ben McNally Books.

Rupert has worked as a bookseller for nearly 20 years. His first bookselling job was in high school, working for Ben at a shop called Nicholas Hoare. He (eventually) followed Ben to Ben McNally Books and has been there ever since.

McNally Robinson Booksellers (Winnipeg, Manitoba and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is represented by Chris Hall. Chris has been with McNally Robinson Booksellers for thirty years, almost half of which as co-owner. When he isn’t reading or walking, he loves to travel and cook. He lives in Winnipeg and enjoys the culture that city has to offer as much as he can.

Representing Mosaic Books (Kelowna, British Columbia) is Sarah Klassen. A bookseller since ISBNs had only 10 digits, Sarah has been the buyer at Mosaic Books in downtown Kelowna, BC, for almost 20 years. She curates an ever-changing selection of Canadian and diverse titles for the 8000 sq ft bookstore. To further share her love of reading, she started a book club which has been meeting monthly for a quarter century. For Sarah, the literary awards season is like the Olympics of reading.

Rounding out the jury from Yellowknife Books (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories) is Jenn Baerg Steyn. Jenn is the owner of Yellowknife Books. She is a transplant from Vancouver, arriving in Yellowknife eight years ago with her partner, Brad. While in Vancouver she worked as a Spiritual Health Practitioner, primarily in residential care. Her education background is eclectic: She studied chemistry, gerontology, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Simon Fraser University, and earned her Master of Divinity at Regent College.

The Giller Prize celebrates the best in Canadian fiction – novels, short stories and graphic novels. Souvankham Thammavongsa won the 2025 Prize for her novel, Pick a Colour.

The 2026 Giller Prize longlist will be announced in mid-September followed by the shortlist announcement in early October. The winner will be named in mid-November.

The Giller Prize is in search of new sponsors and donors to continue its mission of championing the very best of Canadian storytelling. Please email info@gillerprize.ca if you are interested in a sponsorship opportunity. To learn more about how you can support the Giller Prize, go to gillerprize.ca/donate.

Submissions are now being accepted, and submission guidelines are available online. The submission deadlines are:

• February 13, 2026 for books published between October 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026
• April 17, 2026 for books published between March 1, 2026 and April 30, 2026
• June 19, 2026 for books published between May 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026
• August 14, 2026 for books published between July 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026

About the Prize
Founded by Jack Rabinovitch in 1994, the Giller Prize is Canada’s leading and most influential literary prize for fiction. The Giller Effect has been recognized industry-wide as one of the top drivers of book sales in Canada. The Giller Prize awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English, and $10,000 to each of the finalists. To date, the Giller Prize has awarded more than two million dollars to Canadian writers. The award is named in honour of Jack Rabinovitch’s wife, the late literary journalist, Doris Giller.

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