About

The Atlantic Book Awards Society (ABAS) is a registered non-profit organization with the mandate “to promote and acknowledge excellence in Atlantic Canadian writing and book publishing through an annual awards ceremony and related events.”

Currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the board of the Atlantic Book Awards Society is committed to being a truly regional organization with representation from all four Atlantic provinces. In May 2012, St. John’s, NL hosted a very successful gala, marking the first time this ceremony had been held outside the Halifax area; another successful gala “on the road” took place in Charlottetown in May, 2014, and again in Moncton in April 2016. Building on these successes, the goal is to continue rotating the awards ceremony through New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador, as well as Nova Scotia.

Current board members (2022) of the Atlantic Book Awards Society are:

President: Heather MacKenzie (Halifax Public Libraries)

Vice-President: Marianne Ward (Writers Federation of Nova Scotia)

Treasurer :  Christie Mulcahy

Recording Secretary:  Naomi McKinnon (Community Member)

Member at Large (NS):  Joan McMullin (Dartmouth Book Awards)

Member at Large (NS):  Errol Sharpe (Atlantic Scholarly Writing Award)

Member at Large (NS):  Carolyn Guy (Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration)

Member at Large (NS): Karen Cole (Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association)

Member at Large (New Brunswick): Noel Bourque (Festival Frye / Frye Festival)

Member at Large (PEI): Simon Lloyd (Robertson Library, UPEI)

Member at Large (NL):  Amanda Will (Boulder Books)

2022 Festival Marketing and Communications Coordinator: Heather Fegan