Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction

The Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction honours excellence in Canadian children’s non-fiction books for Grades 4-12 (Ages 8-18). Established in 2024, with the first prize awarded in 2025, the award is named in memory of the late Sharon Fitzhenry, former President & CEO of Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Supported by the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, this annual award celebrates the books Sharon championed throughout her career and comes with a cash prize of $10,000.

Eligibility, Guidelines & Fees

Updated: January 2026

The Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction honours excellence in Canadian children’s non-fiction books for Grades 4-12 (Ages 8-18).

Criteria:

The criteria for selecting the winning and shortlisted titles are viewed through each juror’s lens. In identifying excellence, the judges shall consider the following criteria:

• Text should be of exceptional quality and present the subject matter in a way that both informs and excites interest. Visuals, also of an exceptional quality, should clarify, extend and complement the text.
• The winning entry will be based on an original subject or will explore a familiar subject in a new and interesting way.
• Research should be sound and the information contained in the book must be correct and current.
• Treatment of the material should be respectful of the subject and of the reader and be authentically portrayed.
• All nominated books should have good production values, with a visual design that presents the material in a clear and engaging manner.
• 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 where 40% or more of the text area is made up of original illustrations, the prize would be equally split between the author and illustrator; 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, 2025.
• Both the author and illustrator (if applicable) must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada (minimum two-year residency).
• No posthumous submissions.
• Books must be published in Canada.
• Books must be 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).
• Books should be written for young people Ages 8-18 (Grades 4-12). Adult books are not eligible.
• Non-fiction books in the following categories are eligible: Culture and the Arts, Science, Biography, History, Geography, Reference, Sports, Activities and Pastimes.
• Non-fiction books in graphic novel format are eligible.
• Works containing AI-authored content, in part or in whole, or AI-generated illustrations, are not eligible for submission. Use of AI for research, minor editorial, or formatting support may be permitted. If a work is found to include ineligible AI-generated content after submission, it will be disqualified at the submitter’s expense. Submission fees will not be refunded and submitted materials will not be returned.
• 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 $40 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 $40 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 $120 ($40 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 receipt of your online submission form(s), you will be sent a link where you can upload the PDF of your submission(s). The Fitzhenry Award requires five (5) physical copies of each title. Please send these to:

CCBC Book Awards 2026
c/o Tinlids Inc.
130 Martin Ross Avenue 
Toronto, ON M3J 2L4

Tinlids' hours of operation for warehouse deliveries are Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Should you need to include a phone number for the shipment, the phone number at Tinlids is 416-665-5663.

Note to 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. If you require an invoice, please email a copy of this completed form to meghan@bookcentre.ca. Otherwise, please enclose a copy of this completed form, along with your cheque, 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).