Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children’s Literature
Established in 1992, the Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Literature celebrates outstanding contributions to writing for Atlantic Canadian young people. The $5,000 award is named for the late Ann Connor Brimer, a teacher, researcher and bookseller. The award is administered by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia and generously supported by Ann’s son Gavin Brimer.
Starting in 2016, the focus of this annual award alternates between young adult literature and children’s literature. For the purposes of this award, young adult literature is for readers aged 12 to 17, and children’s literature is for readers up to 11 years old.
Submissions and Guidelines
Submissions are evaluated for their originality, creativity, and quality of writing. Each year, a $5,000 prize is awarded to the writer of the winning title.
Complete submission information is available through the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, which administers this prize. A complete list of past winners can also be viewed.
Congratulations!
The winner of the 2025 Ann Connor Brimer Award is New Brunswick author Valerie Sherrard for Standing on Neptune (DCB Young Readers). The jury praised the book for being beautifully written, engaging, and believable. “Sherrard has a gift for poetic expression, along with a deep insight into what it feels like to be young, vulnerable and very much alone,” said the jury.
Sherrard was a finalist for the Ann Connor Brimer Award in 2017 for her YA book Rain Shadow (Fitzhenry & Whiteside), in 2010 for Tumbleweed Skies (Fitzhenry & Whiteside), and in 2008 for Speechless (Dundurn Press). She previously won the award in 2011 for The Glory Wind (Fitzhenry & Whiteside).