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Canada Council for the Arts · award year

Governor General's Literary Awards 2015

The 2015 Governor General's Literary Awards went to carried away on the crest of a wave by David Yee (Drama), Daddy Lenin and Other Stories by Guy Vanderhaeghe (Fiction) and Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive by Mark L. Winston (Non-fiction), with winners in 4 more categories. 35 books were finalists across 7 categories.

Winners

Drama

  1. carried away on the crest of a wave by David Yeesource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Daddy Lenin and Other Stories by Guy Vanderhaeghesource (opens in a new tab)

Non-fiction

  1. Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive by Mark L. Winstonsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. My Shoes Are Killing Me by Robyn Sarahsource (opens in a new tab)

Translation (French to English)

  1. Twenty-One Cardinals by Jocelyne Saucier, translated by Rhonda Mullinssource (opens in a new tab)

Young People's Literature – Illustrated Books

  1. Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smithsource (opens in a new tab)

Young People's Literature – Text

  1. The Gospel Truth by Caroline Pignatsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Drama

  1. Mahmoud by Tara Grammy and Tom Arthur Davissource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Odd Ducks by Bryden MacDonaldsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble by Beth Grahamsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Winners and Losers by Marcus Youssef and James Longsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. How You Were Born by Kate Cayleysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Outline by Rachel Cusksource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreyssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Winter Family by Clifford Jackmansource (opens in a new tab)

Non-fiction

  1. Dispatches from the Front: Matthew Halton, Canada's Voice at War by David Haltonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing into Thunderbird by Armand Garnet Ruffosource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Party of One: Stephen Harper and Canada's Radical Makeover by Michael Harrissource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Social Life of Ink: Culture, Wonder, and Our Relationship with the Written Word by Ted Bishopsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Crossover by M. Travis Lanesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. For Your Safety Please Hold On by Kayla Czagasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent by Liz Howardsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Washita by Patrick Lanesource (opens in a new tab)

Translation (French to English)

  1. Captive by Claudine Dumont, translated by David Scott Hamiltonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Montcalm & Wolfe: Two Men Who Forever Changed the Course of Canadian History by Jacques Lacoursière and Hélène Quimper, translated by Donald Winklersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Stolen Sisters: The Story of Two Missing Girls, Their Families and How Canada Has Failed Indigenous Women by Emmanuelle Walter, translated by Susan Ouriou and Christelle Morellisource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Lake by Perrine Leblanc, translated by Lazer Lederhendlersource (opens in a new tab)

Young People's Literature – Illustrated Books

  1. A Cat Named Tim and Other Stories by John Martzsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Bug in a Vacuum by Mélanie Wattsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Jack, the King of Ashes by Andy Jones and Darka Erdeljisource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear and Marion Arbonasource (opens in a new tab)

Young People's Literature – Text

  1. Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Grothsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Audrey (cow) by Dan Bar-elsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Young Man with Camera by Emil Shersource (opens in a new tab)

About the Governor General's Literary Awards

English-language categories only. Winners and finalists 2006-2024 come from the Canada Council's past winners and finalists archive, which renders https://ggbooks.ca/Areas/GGBooks/json/ggbooks-data-compressed-2025-09-18.json; 2025 comes from the Canada Council finalists and winners press releases. Year is the award year. Category names follow the archive: the illustration category was Children's Literature – Illustration through 2014. Illustration rows credit whoever the archive credits (the illustrator alone before 2015, writer and illustrator after). The archive credits only translators, so original authors of translated books come from Wikipedia's Governor General's Award for French to English translation page.

Organization: Canada Council for the Arts. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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