Writers' Trust of Canada - 50 Years
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Awarding the top Canadian nonfiction of the year

Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction

Highlights

Prize

A companion prize to the Hilary Weston International Award
Winner $75,000
Finalists $5,000

Important Dates

Shortlist announcement: Sep 9, 2026
Winner announcement: Nov 10, 2026

Questions? Please contact:

Devon Jackson, Associate Program Director
djackson@writerstrust.com

About the Prize

The Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction is given annually for excellence in the category of literary nonfiction, which includes essays, history, biography, memoir, commentary, and criticism. The winning book demonstrates a distinctive voice as well as a persuasive and compelling command of tone, narrative, style, and technique. This award has been sponsored by The Hon. Hilary M. Weston since 2011 and is now supported by The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation. Beginning in 2023, the prize purse has increased from $60,000 to $75,000.

An author herself, the late Hon. Hilary M. Weston was an ardent, lifelong supporter of Canadian writers and literature. She believed that the art of writing in its many forms is essential to understanding our world and each other. We are honoured that her extraordinary legacy will continue through the presentation of the newly renamed Hilary Weston International Award and the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

2026 Finalists

Jury

A jury composed of writers Katherine Ashenburg, Debra Thompson, and Joshua Whitehead selected this year’s award finalists from 113 titles representing 70 publishing imprints.

Winning the Weston Prize was like having a huge burst of fireworks go off in the middle of my life — an explosion of adrenaline and joy.

– Candace Savage

2012 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction winner

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