Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People

The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People is awarded annually to reward excellence in the writing of an outstanding work of historical fiction for young readers, by a Canadian author, published in the previous calendar year. In 2008, the value of the prize was increased from $1,000 to $5,000.

The award winner is decided by a jury selected by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. All books written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents are eligible for consideration. The first Geoffrey Bilson Award in 1988 was presented to Carol Matas for her book Lisa.

About Geoffrey Bilson

Born on January 27, 1938, Geoffrey Bilson was an avid reader from an early age, and began to write while quite young. His published historical novels for children include Death Over Montreal and Goodbye Sarah. He also published several books for adults. Before his sudden death in 1987, Geoffrey Bilson taught as a professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan. The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People was created in his honour in 1988.

Eligibility, Guidelines & Fees

Updated: November 2024

The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People honours excellence in the writing of an outstanding work of historical fiction for young readers. The celebration of diversity is an equally significant element to achieving excellence. A work of excellence in Canadian children’s literature should also be successful in making people feel a sense of belonging in their communities.

Criteria

In identifying the best historical novel of the year, each jury member shall consider the following:

• Historical setting and accuracy
• Strong character and plot development
• Well-told, original story
• Elements of the story that draw upon or are inspired by real cultures, folklore and history should be done respectfully and authentically
• Suitability of book for its intended age group
• The award is for the book. The award will go to the author unless 40% or more of the text area is composed of original illustrations, in which case the award will be divided equally between author and illustrator.
• If the winning title is a translated work, the prize will be split 70% to the author and 30% to the translator. In the case of illustrated works, the prize would be equally split between the author and illustrator, with the author will retain 70% of their portion with 30% being awarded to the translator.

Eligibility Requirements

• Books must be published between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
• Both the author and illustrator (in the case of graphic novels) must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada (minimum two-year residency), or First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of the land that is now called Canada.
• No posthumous submissions.
• Books may be published in Canada or abroad.
• Books must be first foreign or first Canadian editions. New editions or re-issues of previously published titles are not eligible for submission.
• Books must be in English.
• Translations are eligible, provided the translator is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada (minimum two-year residency), or First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of the land that is now called Canada.
• Books should be written for young people up to age 18. Adult books are not eligible.
• Books submitted for consideration must be original works.
• Books submitted must be a work of historical fiction.
• For the purpose of this award, we define historical fiction as being set 20 years or more before present time.
• Graphic novels are eligible.
• Autobiographies, picture books, and short story collections by more than one author are not eligible.
• Novels involving alternative universes (i.e., steampunk) or plots involving time travel are not eligible.
• Books written as part of a series or published in serial form will be judged as separate entries and must function as a ‘stand-alone’ story.
• The award is only for books in the printed format, as distinct from digital (i.e., ebooks) and audio-visual formats.
• Books in manuscript form are not eligible.
• All books must have an ISBN and be distributed in Canada.
• Self-published books are eligible for submission provided they have a valid ISBN

Publisher and Creator Expectations

• Publishers agree to pay the $35 non-refundable submission fee per title per award.
• If a book is shortlisted, the publisher, author and illustrator may be asked to participate in a series of events highlighting and promoting the shortlisted author and illustrator, in addition to the award celebration.
• The CCBC is unable to assume the costs for travel and accommodation. It is our hope that publishers will assist the award winner(s) with providing the resources for attending the in-person awards ceremony (should we be able to hold an in-person event) or for creating an acceptance speech video of appropriate quality should the creator(s) be unable to attend an in-person event.
• Publishers agree to prepare and encourage their authors and illustrators to participate in all reasonable publicity associated with the award: interviews, readings, appearances, etc.
• Publishers agree to spend an appropriate sum on media advertising the winning book (i.e., whatever your advertising budget allows).

Submission Fees

There is a $35 non-refundable fee for each title submitted to each of the CCBC book awards. Therefore, if, for example, you have a title that is eligible for three of the awards and you would like it considered for all three awards, the submission fee for that particular title is $105 ($35 x 3). The fees will be used to offset administration costs, as well as costs associated with the presentation of the awards.

How to Submit

You are required to complete an online title submission form for each title being submitted. Upon completion of the form(s), please email PDFs of your title(s) to meghan@bookcentre.ca. The Bilson Award requires five (5) physical copies of each title. Please send these to:

CCBC Book Awards 2025
c/o Tinlids Inc.
130 Martin Ross Avenue 
Toronto, ON M3J 2L4

Note to US publishers, foreign publishers and self-published authors using printers in the US
When you are sending your submissions, please make sure that all mailing/courier charges, including duty, are billed to the sender. The CCBC nor Tinlids cannot incur these costs. Packages flagged as COD will be refused.

Submission fees can be paid online at bookcentre.ca/submissionfees. If you are paying the submission fee(s) by cheque, please complete a submission fee form and either enclose it with your shipment of books or mail it to the address at the bottom of the form.

Accessible Formats

The title submission form includes a question about accessible formats. While these formats are not a requirement for submitting to the awards program, we would very much appreciate it if you could let us know if the title(s) is available in an accessible format and if so, which format(s).