Mona Awad, Eddy Boudel Tan, Emma Donoghue, Emma Knight, and Souvankham Thammavongsa have been named as the five finalists for the 2025 Giller Prize, which awards $100,000 annually to honor outstanding Canadian fiction. The 2025 shortlist showcases a diverse array of novels, ranging from Emma Donoghue’s The Paris Express, set in an 1800s train disaster, to Eddy Boudel Tan’s The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, delving into a family’s tragedy, and Souvankham Thammavongsa’s Pick A Colour, exploring life in a nail salon.
Souvankham Thammavongsa, who previously won the 2020 Giller Prize for her collection How To Pronounce Knife, is among the finalists, along with Emma Donoghue, who was shortlisted in 2016 for The Wonder. Mona Awad, nominated for We Love You, Bunny, made the 2016 shortlist for 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl. Emma Knight, with The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, stands out as the sole debut work on the shortlist.
The Giller Prize shortlist selection was made by jury chair Dionne Irving, along with Loghan Paylor and Deepa Rajagopalan, from over 100 submissions. The award ceremony, hosted by comedian Rick Mercer, is scheduled to air on CBC TV, CBC Gem, and CBC’s YouTube channel on Monday, Nov. 17, at 9 p.m. ET. Additionally, it will be broadcast on CBC Radio One and CBC Listen.
Following past controversies, including protests against former sponsor Scotiabank due to its investments and calls for divestment, the Giller Prize has since severed ties with Scotiabank. The prize was founded in 1994 by Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch in memory of his late wife, Doris Giller.
The shortlisted books for the 2025 Giller Prize are available in accessible formats through the National Network for Equitable Library Services and the Centre for Equitable Library Access. Readers can explore more about the shortlisted books below.