Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize

The five finalists for the 2011 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize were announced on September 28, 2011, at Toronto's Ben McNally Books.The Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize recognizes Canadian writers of exceptional talent for the year's best novel or short-story collection. Finalists were selected by a three-member jury composed of Emma Donoghue, a past winner of this prize; Rabindranath Maharaj, a past finalist of this prize; and Margaret Sweatman, also a past winner of this prize. The prize will be awarded in Toronto  during the Writers’ Trust Awards event on November 1.
This year's finalists are:

Clark Blaise  The Meagre Tarmac






Michael Christie  The Beggar's Garden






Patrick deWitt  The Sisters Brothers 






Esi Edugyan  Half-Blood Blues






Dan Vyleta  The Quiet Twin

Hilary Westons' Trust Prize for Nonfiction

The Hilary Weston Trust Prize for Nonfiction is a new award that replaces the Writers' Trust prize for nonfiction which has been without a sponsor for a number of years now.  The $60 000 prize is sponsored by the former lieutenant governor of Ontario Hilary Weston.

This year's finalists are :

Charles Foran | Mordecai: The Life & Times 
Published by Knopf Canada

Charlotte Gill | Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting TribePublished by Greystone Books/David Suzuki Foundation

Richard Gwyn | Nation Maker: Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times; Volume Two: 1867-1891Published by Random House Canada

Grant Lawrence | Adventures in Solitude: What Not to Wear to a Nudist Potluck and Other Stories from Desolation Sound
Published by Harbour Publishing

Ray Robertson | Why Not? Fifteen Reasons to LivePublished by Biblioasis

Polaris Music Prize Winner 2011

The Polaris Music Prize has been announced. The 2011 winner is Arcade Fire's The Suburbs.
The Polaris Prize celebrates Canadian music of the highest artistic integrity. Check out their website- www.polarismusicprize.ca/

Polaris Music Prize short list nominees for the 2011 short list are:


Arcade Fire  – The Suburbs
Austra- Feel It Break
Braids- Native$Speaker
Destroyer- Kaputt
Galaxie- Tigre et Diesel
Hey Rosetta1- Seeds
Ron Sexsmith-  Long Player Late Bloomer
Colin Stetson- New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Timber Timbre- Creep On Creepin’ On
The Weeknd- House Of Balloons

Giller Prize Longlist Announced

The Giller Prize longlist has been announced. Visit the site and you can make your own shortlist. The official short list  will be announced on October 4, 2011.