The

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

for English-language drama honours excellence in Canadian English-language playwriting. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry or drama was divided. Because the award is presented for plays published in print, a play's eligibility for the award can sometimes be several years later than its eligibility for awards, such as the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play or the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award, which are based on the theatrical staging."Plays at the G-Gs: better late than never". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', October 22, 2005. Titles which compile several works by the playwright into a single volume may also be nominated for or win the award.

Winners and nominees

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple winners and nominees

2 Wins

* Catherine Banks * John Mighton * Colleen Murphy * Morris Panych * Sharon Pollock * Jordan Tannahill * Judith Thompson * George F. Walker

6 Nominations

* Judith Thompson (2 wins)

5 Nominations

* Robert Chafe (1 win) * Daniel MacIvor (1 win) * Jason Sherman (1 win)

4 Nominations

* Wendy Lill * Michael Healey (1 win) * John Mighton (2 wins) * Jordan Tannahill (2 wins) * George F. Walker (2 wins)

3 Nominations

* Joan MacLeod (1 win) * Hannah Moscovitch (1 win) * Colleen Murphy (2 wins) * Morris Panych (2 wins) * Sharon Pollock (2 wins) * Donna-Michelle St. Bernard

2 Nominations

* Catherine Banks (2 wins) * Daniel Brooks (both with cowriters) * Marjorie Chan * Anna Chatterton (consecutive, 1 with cowriters) * Marie Clements * Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman * Don Druick * Brad Fraser * Linda Griffiths * Tomson Highway (consecutive) * Karen Hines * Maureen Hunter * Anosh Irani * Lawrence Jeffrey * Hiro Kanagawa (1 win) * John Krizanc (1 win) * Kevin Loring (1 win) * Bryden MacDonald * Michael MacLennon (consecutive) * Richard Sanger * Erin Shields (1 win) * Vern Thiessen (1 win) * Guillermo Verdecchia (consecutive, 1 win) * David Yee (1 win) * David Young Drew Hayden Taylor and Anosh Irani have also both been nominated for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction. James Reaney won the award three times before Poetry and Drama were split in 1981 into separate categories. Mishka Lavigne is the first person to be nominated for both the English and French language awards for Drama.

References

{{Governor General's Literary Awards *English Awards established in 1981 1981 establishments in Canada

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

Canadian dramatist and playwright awards * English-language literary awards