2027 CANREADS AWARDS

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Entries will be evaluated by our team on a variety of writing skills and literary merit, including: storytelling ability, author’s ability to engage the reader, transitions and hooks, pacing and movement of the story, author’s skill with voice, character, dialogue, and narrative, grammar, and punctuation. 

This year, we're excited to introduce more categories. By entering the CANREADS Book Award, you will be competing against other talented authors. We look forward to discovering and celebrating new stories.

Eligible 2027 Award Categories:

1. Literary Fiction
2. General & Contemporary Fiction
3. Adult Nonfiction
4. Women’s Fiction
5. Romance Fiction
6. Historical Fiction
7. Thriller / Mystery  
8. Speculative Fiction / Science Fiction
9. Fantasy 
10. Horror 
11. Short Story Collections
12. Poetry
13. Memoir / Autobiography / Biography
14. Art / Design / Fashion
15. Self-Help / Guide / Personal Development
16. Wellness / Health / Lifestyle
17. Business / Finance / Marketing
18. Technology
19. Religion / Spirituality
20. Science / Animals / Nature
21. Children’s Books (Fiction)
22. Children’s Books (Nonfiction)
23. Middle Grade (Fiction & Nonfiction)
24. Young Adult (Fiction & Nonfiction)

All submitted titles are automatically considered for Best Book Overall. This award recognizes excellence across the full scope of book production, including editorial quality, design, and overall execution, and is presented to a title that demonstrates outstanding achievement throughout the publishing process.

Authors are encouraged to select the category that most accurately represents their book. If you are unsure which category to choose, a CANREADS representative is available to assist prior to submission. 

Categories with insufficient entries may be merged with or removed from the current awards cycle at CANREADS’ discretion. In such cases, submitted titles will automatically be reassigned to the most appropriate related category and will remain fully eligible for consideration.

CANREADS also reserves the right to introduce additional categories if a sufficient volume of submissions is received within a clearly defined subgenre not listed above.

• Entries can be independently published (self-published) or published by a qualifying publisher.
• You must have lived as a resident/citizen in Canada for at least one year to be eligible for submission.
• Independent publishers and authors who have no critical review can still submit their works for consideration.
• Books must be written in English.
• Please refer to the list above for accepted categories.
• Book publication dates must fall between January 2016–April 2027.

• $89 per title
• $50 per additional category (up to 3)
•  Awards entry to unlimited categories included with the purchase of a critical review

• We accept digital galleys (PDF and ePUB), and physical copies sent to our office or judges (address provided upon request).
• Payments must be made online through our submissions page (linked below).
• Entrees will not be considered until the payment is confirmed and book is received.

Enter the 2027 CANREADS Awards by March 31 to lock in our early bird pricing.

Our team is spending the next two months completing assessments for 2026 submissions and preparing for the awards announcement in February.

If you would like to include a critical review with your 2027 submission, you may pre-order one in advance here. The review delivery timeline begins on March 1. Depending on the review tier selected, reviews will be delivered either within three weeks or within five to eight weeks, with all timelines calculated from the March 1 start date.