Fourteen books have made it to the 2025 Giller Prize longlist, an award that celebrates excellence in Canadian fiction with a prize of $100,000 annually.
The 2025 longlist includes 12 novels and two collections of short stories, delving into diverse topics such as a 19th-century train disaster, the experiences of individuals working in a nail salon, and the stories of abducted children in Uganda. Notably, three past winners of the award are among the longlisted authors. André Alexis, a 2015 winner for “Fifteen Dogs,” is now recognized for his short story collection “Other Worlds.” Ian Williams, the 2019 winner for “Reproduction,” is on the list this year for his novel “You’ve Changed.” Souvankham Thammavongsa, the 2020 Giller Prize recipient for “How To Pronounce Knife,” is honored for her novel “Pick A Colour.”
Three of the authors on the longlist have ties to the CBC Literary Prizes. Joanna Cockerline, nominated for her novel “Still,” previously secured second place in the CBC Short Story Prize in 2002. Otoniya J. Okot Bitek, longlisted for “We, The Kindling,” was also a contender for the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize. Amanda Leduc, recognized for her novel “Wild Life,” was longlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize twice and the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2014.
The 2025 Giller Prize longlist comprises the following titles:
– “Other Worlds” by André Alexis
– “We Love You, Bunny” by Mona Awad
– “An Astonishment of Stars” by Kirti Bhadresa
– “We, The Kindling” by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek
– “The Tiger and the Cosmonaut” by Eddy Boudel Tan
– “Sugaring Off” by Fanny Britt, translated by Susan Ouriou
– “Still” by Joanna Cockerline
– “The Paris Express” by Emma Donoghue
– “The Sideways Life of Denny Voss” by Holly Kennedy
– “The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus” by Emma Knight
– “Wild Life” by Amanda Leduc
– “The Road Between Us” by Bindu Suresh
– “Pick a Colour” by Souvankham Thammavongsa
– “You’ve Changed” by Ian Williams
The longlist was selected by the jury, chaired by Dionne Irving, a former finalist, along with jury members Loghan Paylor and Deepa Rajagopalan. The 2025 shortlist will be disclosed on October 6, and the winner will be announced on November 17. The Giller Prize award ceremony will be broadcast on November 17 at 9 p.m. ET on CBC TV and CBC Gem, with a live stream available on CBC’s YouTube channel. Additionally, the event will be aired on CBC Radio One and CBC Listen.