Homegrown and transplanted writers alike thrive in the greater Victoria area – so much so that we lay claim to many of Canada’s most awarded and recognized poets, novelists, essayists, children’s book authors and historians.
With that reality and the generous help of committed volunteers and sponsors, the City of Victoria Book Prize’s inaugural $5,000 prize was awarded in 2004 – created to acknowledge and celebrate an extraordinarily accomplished writing community and the readers who support them. The City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize was originally established by the late Mel Bolen and awarded as the Bolen Books Prize for Children’s Literature from 2008 to 2018. Our multi-genre adult and children’s prizes are awarded at an annual Gala in October, which is a feast for the senses and the intellect.
Brian Butler generously supported the Victoria Book Prizes for over two decades and we are grateful for his support. He has opted to discontinue his support for our organization, and continues his charitable work throughout Victoria.
The City of Victoria is a founding member of the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize. The City’s financial commitment and constant support is evidence of their belief in the exceptional creative talent in this region and the need to celebrate local writers.
The City of Victoria generously supports the cash award of $5000 for each prize, every year.
DC Reid is a writer, poet and philanthropist whose work lives in multiple disciplines: web-based video-poems for his book You Shall Have No Other on www.sandria.ca; environmental writing, for which he has won multiple awards including the National Roderick Haig-Brown Award; and novels. His poetry has won silver in the Bliss Carman Award twice, among twenty other awards including the Colleen Thibaudeau award for significant support of Canadian poetry. He is a former president of the League of Canadian Poets and the Federation of BC Writers. He released a memoir of decades spent on the Nitinat River titled A Man And His River, published with Hancock House Publishers in 2022, won the 2023 Gold Medal for books with the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Selected and New Poems, is his eighteenth book. DC is broadly known for extensive writing on in-ocean fish farms; neuroplasticity and extensive creativity mechanisms. In all he has published 10 books of poetry, number eleven will be out in 2026. DC Reid has 23 awards for his writing, the latest being the Gold Award for Nunc Dimittis in 2024. He lives in Victoria, BC. www.dcreid.ca
The Victoria Book Prizes is pleased to have the support of many community organizations and businesses. For 2025, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to:
©2024 Victoria Book Prizes. All rights reserved
