The longlist for the 2026 Giller Prize has been revealed, with 14 authors in contention for the annual prize that recognizes “excellence in Canadian fiction.”
Patrick deWitt was longlisted for Dodge City; he has been nominated for the award three times before. Other longlisted writers with previous nominations include Wayne Johnston for The Novice of Holloway Hall, Colin McAdam for Daphnis and Chloe, Cordelia Strube for At Sea in a Sieve, and Michelle Good for Eliza Sunshine.
Jennifer Chevalier made the longlist for The Winter Witch, as did Patricia Finn for The Golden Boy, Tara Gereaux for Wild People Quiet, Hollay Ghadery for The Unravelling of Ou, and Nicholas Herring for Your Breath in Charcoal.
Nazanine Hozar was nominated for The Small Ones, alongside Mai Nguyen for Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead, Lisa Robertson for Riverwork, and Patmeena Sabit for Good People.
The longlist for the award was selected by a jury of independent booksellers. The jury said in a statement, “These authors grapple with our collective history with humour, openness, and compassion, fearlessly chronicling our challenges, our tragedies and our triumphs. Canada is a collection of people and places such as these. And at a time when our nation’s cultural identity is being tested, it is more important than ever to write, read, and reflect on our stories.”
The Giller Prize was established in 1994. Previous winners include Rohinton Mistry for A Fine Balance, Alice Munro for The Love of a Good Woman and Runaway, and Omar El Akkad for What Strange Paradise.
The shortlist for the award, which comes with a cash prize of 100,000 Canadian dollars—about 72,000 U.S. dollars—will be revealed on Oct. 5, with the winner announced at a ceremony in Toronto on Nov. 16.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
