The recipients of the inaugural awards recognizing self-published Canadian authors were announced at the 15th annual Whistler Writers Festival Oct. 13–16.

In the fiction category‚ Saskatchewan writer Byrna Barclay won for the novel House of the White Elephant; Albertan Miji Campbell won the non-fiction prize for Separation Anxiety: A Coming of Middle Age Story; Ontario writer Gerry Fostaty won the crime-fiction category for Stage Business; and in the poetry category‚ Alberta-based Gail Sidonie Sobat won for her collection How the Light Is Spent. Each author received a $500 prize.

Stella Harvey, organizer of the Whistler Writers Festival‚ said in a press release‚ “Our judges were impressed by the fine writing and quality of the self-published books presented, and the winners well deserve the recognition.”

The awards are administered by the Whistler Writing Society and editorial services company Vivalogue Publishing. Members of the Canadian Authors Association served as a judging panel and issued constructive feedback to each submitter. Vivalogue’s Canadian co-founder Lynn Duncan told Q&Q in March that the accolades aim to “differentiate books by people that are true professionals and have spent the time and money to craft a professional quality book from books by the hobby author” as self-published authors are increasingly recognized by the literary community.