The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English."Governor General's Literary Awards"
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The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

'', May 27, 2007. It is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, seven each for creators of English- and French-language books. The awards was created by the Canadian Authors Association in partnership with

Lord Tweedsmuir John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist Party (Scotland), Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the List of governo ...

in 1936. In 1959, the award became part of the Governor General's Awards program at the

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study a ...

in 1959. The age requirement is 18 and up. The program was created in 1937 by the Canadian Authors Association and inaugurated that November for 1936 publications in two English-language categories, conventionally called the 1936 Governor General's Awards. Administration of the awards was transferred to the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to ...

in 1959. The winners alone were announced until 1979, when Canada Council released in advance a shortlist of three nominees. Omitted only for 1981, the advance shortlist has numbered three to six; from 1997, always five.

Winners and nominees

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple Winners

3 Awards * Hugh MacLennan (1945, 1948, 1959) * Alice Munro (1968 (tied), 1978, 1986) * Guy Vanderhaeghe (1982, 1996, 2015) no other nominations * Michael Ondaatje (1992, 2000, 2007) 2 Awards * Gwethalyn Graham (1938, 1944) * Gabrielle Roy (1947, 1957) * David Walker (1952, 1953) only back-to-back winner * Brian Moore (1960, 1975) * Margaret Laurence (1966, 1974) * Mordecai Richler (1968 (tied), 1971) * Rudy Wiebe (1973, 1994) no other nominations * Nino Ricci (1990, 2008) no other nominations Prior to 1979, only the winners were announced. Some winners of this prize have also won Governor General's Literary Awards in other categories, such as Margaret Atwood (Fiction, Poetry).

References

{{Governor General's Literary Awards Canadian fiction awards * Awards established in 1936 1936 establishments in Canada

Fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

English-language literary awards