*Has read it. DNF: Did not finish.
Governor-General’s Award recognize Canada’s best books. The awards promote Canadian literature, and encourage Canadians to read.
- 2020:
- 2019: Five Wives, Joan Thomas
- 2018 The Red Word, Sarah Henstra
- 2017 We’ll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night Joel Thomas Hynes
- 2016 Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien *
- 2015 Daddy Lenin and Other Stories Guy Vanderhaeghe
- 2014 The Back of the Turtle Thomas King
- 2013 The Luminaries Eleanor Catton *
- 2012 The Purchase Linda Spalding
- 2011 The Sisters Brothers Patrick deWitt DNF
- 2010 Cool Water Dianne Warren
- 2009 The Mistress of Nothing Kate Pullinger
- 2008 The Origin of Species Nino Ricci
- 2007 Divisadero Michael Ondaatje
- 2006 The Law of Dreams Peter Behrens
- 2005 A Perfect Night to Go to China David Gilmour
- 2004 A Complicated Kindness Miriam Toews
- 2003 Elle Douglas Glover
- 2002 A Song for Nettie Johnson Gloria Sawai
- 2001 Clara Callan Richard B. Wright*
- 2000 Anil’s Ghost Michael Ondaatje
- 1999 Elizabeth and After Matt Cohen
- 1998 Forms of Devotion Diane Schoemperlen
- 1997 The Underpainter Jane Urquhart
- 1996 The Englishman’s Boy Guy Vanderhaeghe
- 1995 The Roaring Girl Greg Hollingshead
- 1994 A Discovery of Strangers Rudy Wiebe
- 1993 The Stone Diaries Carol Shields
- 1992 The English Patient Michael Ondaatje
- 1991 Such a Long Journey Rohinton Mistry
- 1990 Lives of the Saints Nino Ricci
- 1989 Whale Music Paul Quarrington
- 1988 Nights Below Station Street David Adams Richards
- 1987 A Dream Like Mine M.T. Kelly
- 1986 The Progress of Love Alice Munro
- 1985 The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood*
- 1984 The Engineer of Human Souls Josef Skvorecky
- 1983 Shakespeare’s Dog Leon Rooke
- 1982 Man Descending Guy Vanderhaeghe
- 1981 Home Truths: Selected Canadian Stories Mavis Gallant
- 1980 Burning Water George Bowering
- 1979 The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne Jack Hodgins
- 1978 Who Do You Think You Are? Alice Munro
- 1977 The Wars Timothy Findley
- 1976 Bear Marian Engel
- 1975 The Great Victorian Collection Brian Moore
- 1974 The Diviners Margaret Laurence
- 1973 The Temptations of Big Bear Rudy Wiebe
- 1972 The Manticore Robertson Davies
- 1971 St. Urbain’s Horseman Mordecai Richler
- 1970 The New Ancestors Dave Godfrey
- 1969 The Studhorse Man Robert Kroetsch
- 1968 Dance of the Happy Shades Alice Munro; Cocksure Mordecai Richler
- 1967 Salut Galarneau Jacques Godbout
- 1966 A Jest of God Margaret Laurence
- 1965 L’incubation Gérard Bessette
- 1964 The Deserter Douglas LePan
- 1963 Hugh Garner’s Best Stories Hugh Garner
- 1962 Running to ParadiseKildare Dobbs
- 1961 Hear Us O Lord from Heaven Thy Dwelling Place Malcolm Lowry
- 1960 The Luck of Ginger Coffey Brian Moore
- 1959 The Watch that Ends the Night Hugh MacLennan
- 1958 Execution Colin McDougall
- 1957 Street of Riches (translation) Gabrielle Roy
- 1956 The Sacrifice Adele Wiseman
- 1955 The Sixth of June Lionel Shapiro
- 1954 The Fall of a Titan Igor Gouzenko
- 1953 Digby David Walker
- 1952 The Pillar David Walker
- 1951 The Loved and the Lost Morley Callaghan
- 1950 The Outlander (translation) Germaine Guèvremont
- 1949 Mr. Ames Against Time Philip Child
- 1948 The Precipice Hugh MacLennan
- 1947 The Tin Flute (translation) Gabrielle Roy
- 1946 Continental Revue Winifred Bambrick
- 1945 Two Solitudes Hugh MacLennan
- 1944 Earth and High Heaven Gwethalyn Graham
- 1943 The Pied Piper of Dipper Creek Thomas H. Raddall
- 1942 Little Man G. Herbert Sallans
- 1941 Three Came to Ville Marie Alan Sullivan
- 1940 Thirty Acres (translation) Ringuet (pseud.)
- 1939 The Champlain Road Franklin D. McDowell
- 1938 Swiss Sonata Gwethalyn Graham
- 1937 The Dark Weaver Laura G. Salverson
- 1936 Think of The Earth Bertram Brooke
The Giller Prize recognized excellence in Canadian fiction – long format or short stories.
- 2020 How to Pronounce Knife, Souvankham Thammavongsa
- 2019 Reproduction, Ian Williams
- 2018 Washington black by Esi Edugyan*
- 2017 Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill*
- 2016 Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien*
- 2015 Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis
- 2014 Us Conductors by Sean Michaels
- 2013 Hellgoing by Lynn Coady
- 2012 419 by Will Ferguson
- 2011 Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
- 2010 The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud
- 2009 The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre
- 2008 Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
- 2007 Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
- 2006 Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam
- 2005 The Time In Between by David Bergen
- 2004 Runaway by Alice Munro
- 2003 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by M.G. Vassanji
- 2002 The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke
- 2001 Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright*
- 2000 Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje; Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards
- 1999 A Good House by Bonnie Burnard
- 1998 The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro
- 1997 Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler
- 1996 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood*
- 1995 A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
- 1994 The Book of Secrets by M.G. Vassanji
The Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize recognizes Canadian writers of exceptional talent for the year’s best novel or short story collection.
- 2020: Ridgerunner, Gil Adamson
- 2019 Days by Moonlight, Andre Alexis
- 2018 Dear Evelyn, Kathy Page
- 2017 Brother, David Chariandy
- 2016 Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains, Yasuko Thanh
- 2015 Fifteen Dogs, André Alexis
- 2014 All My Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews
- 2013 A Beautiful Truth, Colin McAdam
- 2012 Siege 13, Tamas Dobozy
- 2011 The Sister’s Brothers, Patrick de Witt DNF
- 2010 Room, Emma Donoghue*
- 2009 The Golden Mean, Annabel Lyon
- 2008 The Flying Troutmans, Miriam Toews
- 2007 The Book of Negroes, Lawrence Hill
- 2006 Inside, Kenneth Harvey
- 2005 Three Day Road, Joseph Boyden
- 2004 Runaway, Alice Munro
- 2003 Country of Cold, Kevin Patterson
- 2002 Enemy Women, Paulette Jiles
- 2001 When Alice Lay Down with Peter, Margaret Sweatman
- 2000 afterimage, Helen Humphreys
- 1999 The City of Yes, Peter Oliva
- 1998 The Healer, Greg Hollingshead
- 1997 The Origin of Waves, Austin Clarke
