The shortlist for the $150,000 Carol Shields Prize, which celebrates “creativity and excellence in fiction by women and nonbinary writers in Canada and the United States,” has been revealed.
Megha Majumdar was named a finalist for A Guardian and a Thief, a novel that was also a finalist for the Kirkus Prize and the National Book Award; it won the Andrew Carnegie Medal in February.
Julia Elliott made the shortlist for her story collection Hellions, as did Quiara Alegría Hudes for her novel, The White Hot. Also named finalists were Lee Lai for Cannon and Sonya Walger for Lion.
Alexandra Skoczylas, CEO of the Shields Prize, said in a statement, “We are fiercely committed to championing women and nonbinary authors working in Canada and the United States, ensuring their stories receive the global recognition and support they deserve. To that end, we encourage everyone to read these books, and to pass them on to friends.”
The Carol Shields Prize, named for the American Canadian author of novels including The Stone Diaries and Unless, was established in 2023. The previous winners are When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar, Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan, and Code Noir by Canisia Lubrin.
The winner of this year’s prize will be announced at an event in Toronto on June 2.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
