ReLit Awards

The ReLit Awards are Canadian literary prizes awarded annually to book-length works in the novel, short-story and poetry categories.[1] Founded in 2000 by Newfoundland filmmaker and author Kenneth J. Harvey,[2] they are considered the preeminent literary prize in independent Canadian publishing.[1]

Subtitled Ideas, Not Money the main title of the awards is short for Regarding Literature, Reinventing Literature, and Relighting Literature.[3] The awards were conceived by Harvey as an alternative to larger mainstream prizes such as the Giller Prize and the Governor General's Awards.[4] There is no money awarded for the prize; in the first two years, the winners received a nominal prize of one Canadian dollar,[5] but since 2003 the recipients have been presented with a silver ring designed by Newfoundland artisan Christopher Kearney.[6]

It was announced in January 2021 that management of the award has been taken over by Harvey's daughter Katherine, with the project expanding to incorporate an online literary journal and a mentorship program for young writers.[7]

Nominees and winners

Year	Novel	Short fiction	Poetry
2001[8]	Bonnie Bowman, Skin[9] Bill Gaston, The Good Body Lydia Kwa, This Place Called Absence Ralph Osborne, Just for Comfort Stan Rogal, Bafflegab Cordelia Strube, The Barking Dog	Mark Anthony Jarman, 19 Knives[9] Paul Glennon, How Did You Sleep? Steven Hayward, Buddha Stevens Don Kerr, Love and the Bottle Annabel Lyon, Oxygen Jan Thornhill, Drought	S. D. Johnson, Hymns to Phenomena[9] Mark Cochrane, Change Room Susan Gillis, Swimming Among the Ruins Adeena Karasick, Dyssemia Sleaze John Reibetanz, Mining for Sun Matt Robinson, A Ruckus of Awkward Stacking
2002	Jonathan Goldstein, Lenny Bruce Is Dead[10]	Bill Gaston, Mount Appetite[10] Richard Cumyn, Viking Brides Kristi-Ly Green, Nits	Lisa Robertson, The Weather[10] Christian Bök, Eunoia Karen Solie, Pigeon
2003	Peter Darbyshire, Please France Daigle, A Fine Passage Mary Swan, The Deep Guillaume Vigneault, Necessary Betrayals	Sean Johnston, A Day Does Not Go By Richard Cumyn, The Obstacle Course Corey Frost, My Own Devices Emily Schultz, Black Coffee Night	Margaret Christakos, Excessive Love Prostheses Lise Downe, Disturbances of Progress Steve McCaffery, Seven Pages Missing (Volume 2) Jay Millar, Mycological Studies
2004	Darren Greer, Still Life With June Kim Barry Brunhuber, Kameleon Man David Homel, The Speaking Cure Kent Nussey, A Love Supreme	Tony Burgess, Fiction for Lovers Phlip Arima, Broken Accidents Dana Bath, Universal Recipients Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Way Up	Souvankham Thammavongsa, Small Arguments Gil Adamson, Ashland David O'Meara, The Vicinity Russell Thornton, House Built of Rain
2005	Sky Gilbert, An English Gentleman Natalee Caple, Mackerel Sky Bill Gaston, Sointula Cordelia Strube, Blind Night	James Grainger, The Long Slide Lance Blomgren, Corner Pieces Corey Frost, The Worthwhile Flux James Marshall, Let's Not Let a Little Thing Like the End of the World Come Between Us	A. F. Moritz, Night Street Repairs Aislinn Hunter, The Possible Past Pierre Nepveu, Mirabel Mark Truscott, Said Like Reeds or Things
2006	Lisa Moore, Alligator Jim Christy, The Redemption of Anna Dupree David Gilmour, A Perfect Night to Go to China Gaétan Soucy, The Immaculate Conception	Barry Webster, The Sound of All Flesh Ami Sands Brodoff, Bloodknots Keath Fraser, 13 Ways of Listening to a Stranger Goran Simić, Yesterday's People	Leon Rooke, Hot Poppies B. W. Powe, The Unsaid Passing Donato Mancini, Ligatures Eric Miller, In the Scaffolding
2007	Ivan E. Coyote, Bow Grip[1] Andy Brown, The Mole Chronicles Chris Ewart, Miss Lamp Rawi Hage, De Niro's Game George K. Ilsley, ManBug Sean Johnston, All This Town Remembers Marie Hélène Poitras, Suddenly the Minotaur Rob Ritchie, Orphans of Winter Sylvia Maultash Warsh, Season of Iron	Bill Gaston, Gargoyles[1] Ryan Arnold, The Coward Files Krista Bridge, The Virgin Spy Tim Conley, Whatever Happens Sharon English, Zero Gravity Nathan Sellyn, Indigenous Beasts Damian Tarnopolsky, Lanzmann and Other Stories Russell Wangersky, The Hour of Bad Decisions Cathleen With, Skids	Daniel Scott Tysdal, Predicting the Next Big Advertising Breakthrough Using a Potentially Dangerous Method[1] George Elliott Clarke, Black Susan Elmslie, I, Nadja, and Other Poems Bill Kennedy and Darren Wershler-Henry, Apostrophe Esther Mazakian, All the Lifters K. I. Press, Types of Canadian Women Ali Riley, Tear Down Michael V. Smith, What You Can't Have Sharon Thesen, The Good Bacteria
2008	Gil Adamson, The Outlander[3] Nadia Bozak, Orphan Love David Chariandy, Soucouyant Curtis Gillespie, Crown Shyness Claire Mulligan, The Reckoning of Boston Jim Brian Tucker, Big White Knuckles Andrew Wedderburn, The Milk Chicken Bomb	Roberta Rees, Long After Fathers[3] Salvatore Difalco, Black Rabbit Elyse Friedman, Long Story Short Liane Keightley, Seven Openings of the Head Dave Margoshes, Bix's Trumpet Christian McPherson, Six Ways to Sunday P. K. Page, Up on the Roof	Gillian Wigmore, Soft Geography[3] Colin Browne, The Shovel Marita Dachsel, All Things Said & Done Donato Mancini, Æthel David McGimpsey, Sitcom Nadine McInnis, Two Hemispheres Stuart Ross, I Cut My Finger
2009	Michael Blouin, Chase & Haven Theanna Bischoff, Cleavage Daniel Allen Cox, Shuck Brian Dedora, A Slice of Voice at the Edge of Hearing Maggie Helwig, Girls Fall Down Harold Johnson, Charlie Muskrat David Manicom, Anna's Shadow	Lisa Foad, The Night Is a Mouth Arjun Basu, Squishy Ian Colford, Evidence Mark Anthony Jarman, My White Planet Don McLellan, In the Quiet After Slaughter Pamela Stewart, Elysium Betsy Trumpener, The Butcher of Penetang	Maurice Mierau, Fear Not David O'Meara, Noble Gas, Penny Black Philip Kevin Paul, Little Hunger Stuart Ross, Dead Cars in Managua Shannon Stewart, Penny Dreadful RM Vaughan, Troubled Fred Wah, Sentenced to Light
2010	Michael Kenyon, The Beautiful Children[11] Joey Comeau, Overqualified Christiane Frenette, After the Red Night Jason Hrivnak, The Plight House Nathaniel G. Moore, Wrong Bar Chad Pelley, Away From Everywhere Zoe Whittall, Holding Still for As Long As Possible	Stuart Ross, Buying Cigarettes for the Dog[11] David Derry, Sentimental Exorcisms Amy Jones, What Boys Like Matt Lennox, Men of Salt, Men of Earth Steven Mayoff, Fatted Calf Blues Ryan Turner, What We're Made Of Richard Van Camp, The Moon of Letting Go	Gillian Jerome, Red Nest[11] Gregory Betts, The Others Raisd in Me Sky Gilbert, A Nice Place to Visit Michael Kenyon, The Last House Lisa Robertson, Lisa Robertson's Magenta Soul Whip Damian Rogers, Paper Radio Patrick Woodcock, Always Die Before Your Mother
2011	Craig Francis Power, Blood Relatives Evie Christie, The Bourgeois Empire Joey Comeau, One Bloody Thing After Another Daniel Allen Cox, Krakow Melt Jerrod Edson, The Goon Jason Heroux, Good Evening, Central Laundromat Christian McPherson, The Cube People Kathy Page, The Find Ken Sparling, Book Steve Weiner, Sweet England	Tony Burgess, Ravenna Gets Michelle Berry, I Still Don’t Even Know You Darryl Joel Berger, Punishing Ugly Children Ivan E. Coyote, Missed Her Brian Joseph Davis, Ronald Reagan, My Father Jenn Farrell, The Devil You Know Jonathan Papernick, There Is No Other Anne Perdue, I’m a Registered Nurse Not a Whore Teri Vlassopoulos, Bats or Swallows	Dani Couture, Sweet Jim Christy, Marimba Forever Jen Currin, The Inquisition Yours Steve McOrmond, The Good News About Armageddon Adam Seelig, Every Day in the Morning (Slow) Meaghan Strimas, A Good Time Had by All Ian Williams, You Know Who You Are
2012	Suzette Mayr, Monoceros Edem Awumey, Dirty Feet Ashley Little, Prick Catherine Mavrikakis, Flowers of Spit Tom Reynolds, Break Me Edward Riche, Easy to Like	Greg Kearney, Pretty Carolyn Black, The Odious Child Matthew Firth, Shag Carpet Action Daniel Griffin, Stopping for Strangers Jesus Hardwell, Easy Living Mike Spry, Distillery Songs	Patrick Friesen, Jumping in the Asylum Cornelia Hoogland, Woods Wolf Girl Joel Thomas Hynes, Straight Razor Days Sean Johnston, The Ditch was Lit Like This Robin Richardson, Grunt of the Minotaur Sandra Ridley, Post-Apothecary
2013[12]	Lynn Crosbie, Life Is About Losing Everything Tamara Faith Berger, Maidenhead Kayt Burgess, Heidegger Stairwell Joey Comeau, Lockpick Pornography Claudio Gaudio, Texas Annette Lapointe, Whitetail Shooting Gallery Keir Lowther, Dirty Bird Stephen Marche, Love and the Mess We're In James Marshall, Ninja Versus Pirate Featuring Zombies Garry Thomas Morse, Minor Episodes Major Ruckus Susan Musgrave, Given Basil Papademos, Mount Royal Corey Redekop, Husk Barry Webster, The Lava in My Bones	Ian Rogers, Every House Is Haunted Wade Bell, Tracie's Revenge & Other Stories Domenico Capilongo, Subtitles Trevor Clark, Escape and Other Stories Elisabeth de Mariaffi, How to Get Along with Women Alex Leslie, People Who Disappear Sean Virgo, Dibidalen Donald Ward, The Weeping Chair Julie Wilson, Seen Reading	Steven Price, Omens in the Year of the Ox Ronna Bloom, Cloudy with a Fire in the Basement Cliff Burns, New and Selected Poems Jason Heroux, Natural Capital Leah Horlick, Riot Lung Grant Loveys, Our Gleaming Bones Unrobed Christine McNair, Conflict Erin Mouré, The Unmentionable Catherine Owen, Trobairitz Ian Williams, Personals
2014[13]	Nathaniel G. Moore, Savage 1986-2011 Jeff Beamish, Sneaker Wave Paul Bowdring, The Strangers' Gallery Stephanie Domet, Fallsy Downsies Susan Downe, Juanita Wildrose My True Life Stacey May Fowles, Infidelity Joel Thomas Hynes, Say Nothing Saw Wood Shane Joseph, Paradise Revisited Amanda Leduc, The Miracle of Ordinary Men Ashley Little, Anatomy of a Girl Gang Lisa Moore, Caught Garry Thomas Morse, Rogue Cells/ Carbon Harbour Chad Pelley, Every Little Thing Ursula Pflug, The Alphabet Stones Christine Walde, Burning from the Inside	Christine Miscione, Auxiliary Skins Astrid Blodgett, You Haven't Changed a Bit Cliff Burns, Exceptions & Deceptions Austin Clarke, They Never Told Me Kelli Deeth, The Other Side of Youth Cynthia Flood, Red Girl Rat Boy Bill Haugland, After it Rains Sara Heinonen, Dear Leaves I Miss You Martin Hunter, The Critic and Other Stories Colette Maitland, Keeping the Peace Dana Mills, Someone Somewhere Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Islands of Decolonial Love Andrew F. Sullivan, All We Want is Everything Peter Unwin, Life Without Death	Charmaine Cadeau, Placeholder Stephen Brockwell, Complete Surprising Fragments of Improbable Books Jason Camlot, What the World Said Kate Cayley, How This World Comes to an End Margaret Christakos, Multitudes Jim Christy, This Cockeyed World Amber Dawn, How Poetry Saved My Life Dina Del Bucchia, Coping With Emotions and Otters Adam Dickinson, The Polymers Glen Downie, Monkey Soap Kevin McPherson Eckhoff, Forge Catherine Greenwood, The Lost Letters Niki Koulouris, The Sea With No One in It Daphne Marlatt, Liquidities Sharon McCartney, Hard Ass David O'Meara, A Pretty Sight Robin Richardson, Knife Throwing Through Self-Hypnosis Stan Rogal, Love's Not the Way To David Seymour, For Display Purposes Only Ann Shin, The Family China Jacqueline Turner, The Ends of the Earth Stuart Ross, Our Days in Vaudeville
2015	Andrew Kaufman, The Tiny Wife Nelly Arcan, Hysteric Jackie Bateman, Savour Elizabeth Copeland, Jazz Jesse Gilmour, The Green Hotel Beth Goobie, The First Principles of Dreaming Darren Greer, Just Beneath My Skin Bertrand Laverdure, Universal Bureau of Copyrights Lee Maracle, Celia's Song Wendy McGrath, North East Christine Miscione, Carafola Guillaume Morissette, New Tab Ursula Pflug and S. K. Dyment, Motion Sickness Alisha Piercy, Bunny and Shark Lisa Pike, My Grandmother's Pill Ken Rivard, Motherwild Chelsea Rooney, Pedal Margaret Sweatman, Mr. Jones Wayne Tefs, Barker Russell Wangersky, Walt Jacob Wren, Polyamorous Love Song	Megan Gail Coles, Eating Habits of the Chronically Lonesome Greg Bechtel, Boundary Problems Kate Cayley, How You Were Born Jon Paul Fiorentino, I'm Not Scared of You or Anything Sean Johnston, We Don't Listen to Them Doretta Lau, How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank the Sun Helen Marshall, Gifts for the One Who Comes After Elaine McCluskey, Hello, Sweetheart George McWhirter, The Gift of Women Kathy Page, Paradise & Elsewhere Marguerite Pigeon, Some Extremely Boring Drives Matt Rader, What I Want to Tell Goes Like This Rolli, I Am Currently Working on a Novel Shawn Syms, Nothing Looks Familiar	Sina Queyras, MxT Ken Babstock, On Malice Dani Couture, Yaw Jen Currin, School Frank Davey, Poems Suitable to Current Material Conditions Brecken Hancock, Broom Broom Aisha Sasha John, Thou Michael Lista, The Scarborough Susan Paddon, Two Tragedies in 429 Breaths Stan Rogal, After Words Rolli, Mavor's Bones Jeffrey Round, In the Museum of Leonardo Da Vinci Blair Trewartha, Easy Fix Peter Unwin, When We Were Old Sheri-D Wilson, Open Letter: Woman Against Violence Against Women Deanna Young, House Dreams
2016	Carellin Brooks, One Hundred Days of Rain[14] Michel Basilières, A Free Man Danila Botha, Too Much on the Inside Matt Cahill, The Society of Experience Libby Creelman, Split Lynn Crosbie, Where Did You Sleep Last Night Pauline Holdstock, The Hunter and the Wild Girl Robert Hough, The Man Who Saved Henry Morgan Nic Labriola, Winnie's Tongue Anakana Schofield, Martin John Adam Lewis Schroeder, All-Day Breakfast Jon Chan Simpson, Chinkstar Elizabeth Ukrainetz, The Theory of Light at Midnight Alexis von Konigslow, The Capacity for Infinite Happiness Patrick Warner, One Hit Wonders Paul Yee, A Superior Man	Kevin Hardcastle, Debris[14] Anita Anand, Swing in the House Donna Besel, Lessons from a Nude Man Jim Christy, Bad Day for Ralphie Tim Conley, Dance Moves of the Near Future Cherie Dimaline, A Gentle Habit Rhonda Douglas, Welcome to the Circus Katherine Fawcett, The Little Washer of Sorrows Hugh Graham, Last Words Mark Anthony Jarman, Knife Party at the Hotel Europa Carole Glasser Langille, I Am What I Am Because You Are What You Are Lana Pesch, Moving Parts Ian Roy, Meticulous, Sad and Lonely Russell Smith, Confidence Jess Taylor, Pauls Richard Van Camp, Night Moves	Sue Goyette, The Brief Reincarnation of a Girl[14] Tara Azzopardi, Last Stop, Lonesome Town Meira Cook, Monologue Dogs Raoul Fernandes, Transmitter and Receiver Eva H.D., Rotten Perfect Mouth David McGimpsey, Asbestos Heights Nick Papaxanthos, Love Me Tender Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Bodymap Al Pittman, Collected Poems K. I. Press, Exquisite Monsters Damian Rogers, Dear Leader Carolyn Marie Souaid, This World We Invented Jeff Steudel, Foreign Park Harry Thurston, Keeping Watch at the End of the World Daniel Scott Tysdal, Fauxccasional Poems Liz Worth, No Work Finished Here
2017	Kyp Harness, Wigford Rememberies Mike Barnes, The Adjustment League Paul Bowdring, Mister Nightingale Michelle Butler Hallett, This Marlowe David Clerson, Brothers Sanita Fejzic, Psychomachia Christian Guay-Poliquin, Running on Fumes Jane Eaton Hamilton, Weekend Jack Hannan, The Poet is a Radio Terry Jordan, Been in the Storm So Long Pierre-Luc Landry, Listening for Jupiter Ashley Little, Niagara Motel Lydia Perovic, All That Sang Eric Plamondon, Hungary-Hollywood Express Daniel Poliquin, The Angel’s Jig Adam Pottle, The Bus Craig Francis Power, The Hope Jacques Poulin, English Is Not a Magic Language Edward Riche, Today I Learned It Was You Leon Rooke, Fabulous Fictions & Peculiar Practices Laura Swart, Blackbird Calling Jamie Tennant, The Captain of Kinnoull Hill Zoe Whittall, The Best Kind of People Jared Young, Into the Current	Kris Bertin, Bad Things Happen Kelley Aitken, Canadian Shield Danila Botha, For All the Men and For All the Women I’ve Known Diane Bracuk, Middle-Aged Boys & Girls Robert Chafe, Two Man Tent Leesa Dean, Waiting for the Cyclone Alban Goulden, As If John Metcalf, The Museum at the End of the World Nathaniel G. Moore, Jettison Catherine Owen, The Day of the Dead Chad Pelley, Four-Letter Words Alice Petersen, Worldly Goods Leon Rooke, Swinging Through Dixie Rea Tarvydas, How to Pick Up a Maid in Statue Square Laura Trunkey, Double Dutch Gisele Villeneuve, Rising Abruptly Russell Wangersky, The Path of Most Resistance Martin West, Cretacea & Other Stories from the Badlands	Katherine Leyton, All the Gold Hurts My Mouth Jordan Abel, Injun Adele Barclay, If I Were in a Cage I’d Reach out For You Stephen Brockwell, All of Us Reticent, Here, Together Sarah Burgoyne, Saint Twin Clint Burnham, Pound @ Guantanamo George Elliott Clarke, Canticles I Wayne Clifford, The Exile Papers, Part Four Michael Crummey, Little Dogs Rocco de Giacomo, Every Night of Our Lives Beth Everest, Silent Sister M. A. C. Farrant, The Days David Fraser, After All the Scissor Work is Done Kerry Gilbert, Tight Wire Christopher Gudgeon, Assdeep in Wonder Eva H.D., Shiner Jason Heroux, Hard Work Cheering Up Sad Machines Jessica Hiemstra, The Holy Nothing JonArno Lawson, The Hobo’s Crowbar Sharon McCartney, Metanoia Jim McLean, Nineteen Fifty-Seven Jim Nason, Touch Anywhere to Begin Monty Reid, Meditatio Placentae Lisa Robertson, 3 Summers Stuart Ross, A Sparrow Came Down Resplendent Angeline Schellenberg, Tell Them It Was Mozart Kilby Smith-McGregor, Kids in Triage Meaghan Strimas, Yes or Nope Aritha Van Herk, Stampede and the Westness of West Margo Wheaton, The Unlit Path Behind the House

References

"Three indie writers honoured by ReLit Awards". The Globe and Mail, July 19, 2007.
"Shortlists announced for ReLit Awards". National Post, August 31, 2010.
"ReLit award winners named". Ottawa Citizen, July 27, 2008.
"Canada's newest literary prize is for independent presses". National Post, November 8, 2000.
"It's in the mail; wear the prize". Vancouver Sun, June 14, 2003.
"Manitoba publishers nab four Relit nods". Winnipeg Free Press, February 11, 2017.
Ryan Porter, "ReLit Awards launches literary journal, teen mentorship under new executive director". Quill & Quire, January 7, 2021.
"Diary of an accidental judge". Vancouver Sun, May 12, 2001.
"New literary prize recognizes smaller success stories". Calgary Herald, June 18, 2001.
Mark Cochrane, "Bonfire of the vanities: At the second annual ReLit Awards, the small world of Canadian poetry felt suffocatingly close". Vancouver Sun, June 22, 2002.
"Winners of ReLit Awards announced". The Globe and Mail, October 22, 2010.
"And the winners of the 2013 ReLit Awards are...." Archived 2014-01-31 at the Wayback Machine. The Province, December 20, 2013.
"The 2014 ReLit Shortlists". The Relit Awards, December 24, 2014.
"Carellin Brooks, Kevin Hardcastle and Sue Goyette win 2016 ReLit Awards". CBC Books, March 9, 2017.

External links

Official website

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[indie-1] "Three indie writers honoured by ReLit Awards". The Globe and Mail, July 19, 2007.

[2] "Shortlists announced for ReLit Awards". National Post, August 31, 2010.

[adamson-3] "ReLit award winners named". Ottawa Citizen, July 27, 2008.

[4] "Canada's newest literary prize is for independent presses". National Post, November 8, 2000.

[5] "It's in the mail; wear the prize". Vancouver Sun, June 14, 2003.

[6] "Manitoba publishers nab four Relit nods". Winnipeg Free Press, February 11, 2017.

[7] Ryan Porter, "ReLit Awards launches literary journal, teen mentorship under new executive director". Quill & Quire, January 7, 2021.

[8] "Diary of an accidental judge". Vancouver Sun, May 12, 2001.

[bowman-9] "New literary prize recognizes smaller success stories". Calgary Herald, June 18, 2001.

[cochrane-10] Mark Cochrane, "Bonfire of the vanities: At the second annual ReLit Awards, the small world of Canadian poetry felt suffocatingly close". Vancouver Sun, June 22, 2002.

[2010winners-11] "Winners of ReLit Awards announced". The Globe and Mail, October 22, 2010.

[12] "And the winners of the 2013 ReLit Awards are...." Archived 2014-01-31 at the Wayback Machine. The Province, December 20, 2013.

[13] "The 2014 ReLit Shortlists". The Relit Awards, December 24, 2014.

[brooks-14] "Carellin Brooks, Kevin Hardcastle and Sue Goyette win 2016 ReLit Awards". CBC Books, March 9, 2017.