Alberta Book Publishing Awards

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About the awards

Established in 1994, these annual awards recognize and celebrate the best of the Alberta book publishing industry. Each year, the Alberta Book Publishing Awards winners are selected through a peer jury process in up to 16 award categories. This much-anticipated event draws industry, government and media attention to the world-class excellence of Alberta’s publishing industry.

Submission Information

The BPAA is accepting submissions for the 2023 Alberta Book Publishing Awards through February 28, 2023.

Download the PDF Media Release

Eligibility

Nominees for Alberta Book Publishing Awards need not be members of the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) but must meet the following criteria to be eligible to win an award:

A publisher will:

  • have its chief office of business located in Alberta,
  • be at least 80% beneficially owned by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants, or be fully owned and controlled by Canadian institutions or associations that are 80% controlled by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants,
  • have effective managerial and editorial control by people domiciled in Alberta, and financial control in the hands of people living in Canada, 
  • publish original Canadian books as a primary, not occasional, activity, and
  • not accept service fees from authors.

Titles must have been published between January 1 and December 31, 2022.

Revised editions are eligible* if at least two of the following elements are included:

  • significant changes in trim size or binding, or typesetting additions or changes to at least 20% of the text and significant graphic or illustrative changes beyond a new cover.

*a description of the format and content changes, the release dates, and publishers’ names for previous editions must be supplied.

Books may be entered in more than one category, and in any or all of the three (3) design categories.

Each publisher may submit up to three (3) titles per award category.

Conditions and Process

  • Submissions must be received in full on or before February 28, 2023.
  • All submissions become the property of the BPAA and will not be returned.
  • Submission fees are non-refundable.
  • The Alberta Book Publishing Awards are administered by the BPAA as a service to the publishing industry in Alberta.
  • Jurors are selected by the BPAA, and juries are administered by the staff of the BPAA.
  • Jurors are independent of the BPAA and all their decisions are final.
  • Eligible submissions in each award category will be adjudicated against the specific criteria for that category; criteria for each category is detailed on the submission form for that category. If a jury finds that no submissions in a category meet the criteria to receive an award, no award shall be presented in that category.

Submission Checklist

  • Completed and signed Eligibility, Conditions, and Attestation form (please submit to our Dropbox file request).
  • A high-quality cover photo for each title submitted (please upload to our Dropbox file request).
  • Completed Title Information Form for each submission.
  • Four (4) hard copies of each title to be considered for an award.
    • If submitting a title in multiple categories please include:
      • Four (4) copies of the book for the first category
      • Three (3) copies for each additional category. See Note 1 if the title is entered in more than one (1) Design category.
  • One (1) copy of each title as an ebook in ePub or PDF format, uploaded to the Dropbox for each category the title is entered into.
  • Digital copies of all supporting documents, uploaded to the Dropbox for each category the title is entered into. See Note 2.
  • Submission fees (cheque, e-transfer to accounting@bookpublishers.ab.ca, or Square).
    • $35.00 per title, per category for members of the BPAA.
    • $50.00 per title, per category for non-members.

Submission Notes

Note 1: Only one set of copies (a total of four (4)) is required for the Design categories, even when entering into more than one (Book Cover Design, Book Design, or Book Illustration).

Note 2: Supporting documents should be organized into individual folders for each title. Please upload the folder (zipped or unzipped), not individual files.

  • If submitting a title in multiple categories, please upload ebooks and applicable supporting documentation into the Dropbox for each category the title is entered into.

Shipping Information

Send all book submissions to:
Book Publishers Association of Alberta  
Second Floor, Percy Page Centre
11759 Groat Road NW
Edmonton, AB T5M 3K6

Dropbox File Requests

Links to the Dropbox File requests for each category are included below. They can also be downloaded through this link.

Book of the Year

Book Design:

Industry Awards:

Jury Criteria

Book of the Year:

Book Design

Industry Awards

2022 Award Winners

Download the PDF Media Release
Watch the Awards presentation on YouTube

AV Nov 2022 ad BPAA

Past Winners

You can find copies of the winning and nominated titles through the following links:

Read Alberta eBooks and Prairie Indigenous eBook Collections

2022 Awards

Winners | Shortlist | Video

2021 Awards

Winners | Shortlist | Video

2020 Awards

Winners | Shortlist | Video

2019 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2018 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2017 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2016 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2015 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2014 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2013 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2012 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2011 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2010 Awards

Winners  | Shortlist

2009 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2008 Awards

Shortlist

2007 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2006 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2005 Awards

Winners | Shortlist

2004 Awards

Winners | Shortlist