Ottawa Book Award

Ottawa Book Award and Prix du livre d'Ottawa is a Canadian literary award presented by the City of Ottawa to the best English and French language books written in the previous year by a living author residing in Ottawa.2011 Guidelines for Authors and Publishers
Ottawa Book Awards website There are four awards each year: English fiction and non-fiction (the Ottawa Book Awards); French fiction and non-fiction (Prix du livre d'Ottawa). As of 2011 the four prize winners receive $7,500 each and short-listed authors $1,000 each. The award was founded in 1986. In its earlier years it was named the Ottawa-Carleton Book Awards.

From 1986 to 1990, only a single winner was named each year, with the prize alternating between non-fiction in even-numbered years and fiction in odd-numbered years. Beginning in 1991, separate awards were created for English and French literature,"Ottawa writers big winners; Top prize split between English, French authors for the first time in Valley festival". ''Ottawa Citizen'', April 27, 1991. although the alternation between non-fiction and fiction titles each year continued until 2004; ever since, four awards have been presented annually for both English and French fiction and non-fiction. Despite being named as "fiction", however, the fiction category is also open to poetry titles.

Each category is presented only if the committee has received five eligible submissions within the appropriate eligibility period. If this benchmark is not reached, then no award is presented in that category; instead, any submissions that were received are forwarded for consideration in the following year, while the prize money is rolled back into the city's annual arts granting program.Burt Heward, "Sawatsky wins top literary prize; ottawa-Carleton award goes to author who tracked Mulroney's rise to power". ''Ottawa Citizen'', May 2, 1992. To date, only the French categories have ever been delayed in this manner, with the French non-fiction category impacted much more frequently than the French fiction category.

Winners

Fiction (1986-1990)

*1987 - John Metcalf, ''Adult Entertainment''
*1989 - Maurice Henrie, ''La Chambre à mourir''

Non-fiction (1986-1990)

*1986 - Joan Finnigan, ''Legacies, Legends and Lies'' and Jean Bruce, ''Back the Attack! : Canadian Women During the Second World War''
*1988 - Patricia Morley, ''Kurelek: A Biography''
*1990 - Roy MacGregor, ''Chief: The Fearless Vision of Billy Diamond''

English fiction (1991-present)

*1991 - Rita Donovan, ''Dark Jewels''
*1993 - Rita Donovan, ''Daisy Circus'' and Nadine McInnis, ''The Litmus Body''Burt Heward, "Authors share ottawa-carleton fiction awards". ''Ottawa Citizen'', May 1, 1993. pp. 0-F4. Database: ProQuest Newsstand.
*1995 - John Barton, ''Notes Towards a Family Tree'' and Frances Itani