The Giller Prize was founded in 1994 by Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller, who passed away from cancer the year before. The award recognized excellence in Canadian fiction – long format or short stories – and endowed a cash prize annually of $25,000.00, the largest purse for literature in the country.

The launch of the Giller Prize coincided with a growing recognition of Canadian authors and literature both at home and abroad. Acclaimed writers such as Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, and Mordecai Richler were winning honours and accolades around the world. The time seemed ripe to celebrate the success of these and other homegrown writers within these borders, with a bold statement of support and recognition.

The Giller Prize, along with many other awards that came before and after, is in part responsible for the continued growth of Canadian literary talent. The Prize has so far endowed more than three-quarters of a million dollars to Canadian writers from coast to coast.

In 2005, the Giller Prize teamed up with Scotiabank to create the Scotiabank Giller Prize. It is the first-ever co-sponsorship for Canada’s richest literary award for fiction. The purse increased from $25,000 to $50,000, grew again in 2008 to $70,000, and increased to $140,000 in 2014 ($100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each finalist).

Giller Prize

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Giller Prize

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