FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Edmonton (April 11, 2012) – The Writers Guild of Alberta (WGA) is thrilled to announce the finalists for the 2012 Alberta Literary Awards! The Alberta Literary Awards recognize and celebrate the highest standards of literary excellence from Alberta authors. Awards jurors have deliberated 195 submissions to select 23 finalists in eight categories. Finalists represent extraordinary literary work written by Alberta authors and published in 2011. Winners will be announced and awards presented at the Alberta Book Awards Gala on Saturday June 9, 2012 in conjunction with Book Publishers Association of Alberta’s (BPAA) Alberta Book Publishing Awards. The celebration will take place in Calgary alongside the WGA’s 2012 Writers Conference. The shortlist for the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature is listed below.

R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature
Sponsored by Young Alberta Book Society

The Dewpoint Show
Written by Barb Howard
Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Ghost Messages
Written by Jacqueline Guest
Coteau Books

Karma
Written by Cathy Ostlere
Puffin Canada

The Writers Guild of Alberta is the largest provincial writers’ organization in Canada, and was formed in 1980 to provide a meeting ground and collective voice for the writers of the province. Its mission is to inspire, connect, support, encourage and promote writers and writing, to safeguard the freedom to write and to read, and to advocate for the well-being of writers.

Registration for the Awards Gala and Conference begin on April 16, 2012. For more information or to register, please call 1-800-665-5354 or visit www.writersguild.ab.ca.