Go to main content

2016 CBC SHORT STORY PRIZE WINNER ANNOUNCED

CBC Books, CBC’s online home for literary content, together with its partners the Canada Council for the Arts, Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and The Banff Centre, are pleased to announce the winner of the 2016  CBC Short Story Prize.

David Huebert of London, Ontario—originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia—wins the grand prize for Enigma. The story was selected from more than 1800 works received from across the country. You can read Enigma at CBCBooks.ca.

As grand-prize winner, Huebert will receive $6000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and his short story will be published in the May edition of Air Canada’s enRoute magazine. He will also receive a 10-day writing residency at The Banff Centre.
 
The jury was composed of writers Greg Hollingshead, Padma Viswanathan and Richard Van Camp, who said “A woman must end the life of her beloved horse. A paean to intimacy and to things rarely seen, Enigma is an eloquent meditation on the mystery of life and death, love and grief, both human and animal. This is a vivid personal narrative of remarkable spiritual and emotional grace.”
 
David Huebert is the author of the poetry collection We Are No Longer the Smart Kids in Class. His fiction has appeared in such magazines as Grain,Broken Pencil, subTerrain and The Puritan. In 2015, he won The Dalhousie Review‘s short-story contest and   The Antigonish Review‘s Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize. Originally from Halifax, David lives in London, Ontario, where he is working on a PhD in American literature.
 
CBC Books also announcedJohanne Alice Côtéas the winner of the French grand prize this morning: for JE t’écrirai dans l’air. For more information, please go to ICI.Radio-canada.ca/icionlit.
 
The four runners-up for the CBC Short Story Prize are Matthew Belyea (Saint John, New Brunswick) for   Jake, the Imposter, S. Kennedy Sobol (Toronto, Ontario) for 20 Percent Donnas, Justine Mazin (Toronto, Ontario) for Packing Snow, and Elaine Stirling (Toronto, Ontario) for Restitution. Each runner-up will receive $1000 from the Canada Council for the Arts.
 
For more information on the awards, please visit CBCBooks.ca.

  -30-

About CBC Books

CBCbooks.ca features all of CBC’s rich literary content and major events and programs such as Canada Reads, Canada Writes, The Next Chapter, and Writers & Company. This one-stop destination for book lovers and writers includes exclusive interviews with authors, the latest literary news stories, book recommendations and writing competitions.

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight aboriginal languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
 
is CBC/Radio-Canada’s new strategy to modernize the public broadcaster and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mandate for Canadians and for future generations. Through to 2020, it will increase its investment in prime time television programming, and continue to create radio programs of the highest quality, while promoting the development of digital and mobile platforms and content.
 
Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s national public arts funder. We champion and invest in artistic excellence so that Canadians may enjoy and participate in a rich cultural life. In 2014-15 we allocated $155.1 million dollars towards artistic creation and innovation through our grants, prizes and payments. We also conduct research, convene activities and work with partners to advance the sector and help embed the arts more deeply in communities across the country. We are responsible for the   Canadian Commission for UNESCO which promotes the values and programs of UNESCO to contribute to a more peaceful, equitable and sustainable future for Canadians. The Canada Council Art Bank operates art rental programs and helps further public engagement with contemporary arts.
 
About Air Canada enRoute magazine
Air Canada enRoute magazine is seen by over 1 million readers each month. The magazine - available exclusively on all Air Canada flights and in Maple Leaf Lounges worldwide as well as in select hotels and boutiques across North America - is an inspirational authority for the global traveler, known for its strong visual presence and innovative design. Air Canada enRoute is published by Spafax, one of the world’s leading content marketing agencies.
 
About The Banff Centre
The Banff Centre‘s mission is inspiring creativity. Thousands of artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world participate in programs at The Banff Centre every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, The Banff Centre provides them with the support they need to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible possible.
 
For further information, contact:
Nicola Makoway
Publicist, CBC Books
416-205-7673
 
Diane Hargrave
Diane Hargrave Public Relations
416-467-9954

Related content

CBC Books cbc short story

Discover

June 23rd at 13:20

New to CBC Gem in July 2026

Titles joining CBC Gem in July include the exclusive Canadian premieres of season 2 of UK comedy series Amandaland and new tween series The Next Step: Cheer, plus sci-fi drama The Expanse, award-winning documentary Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions, and feature film The Menu starring Ralph Fiennes.
June 10th at 14:00

CBC marks National Indigenous Peoples Day & National Indigenous History Month

As part of CBC’s ongoing commitment to reflect Indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast, the public broadcaster is recognizing National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day with programming that showcases First Nations, Inuit, and Métis perspectives and experiences. 
May 26th at 5:50

CBC Unveils New Slate Showcasing Canadian Storytelling and Stars including Samantha Bee, Sarah Podemski and P.K. Subban

From hockey and hospitals to the Wild West and the world of international diplomacy and espionage, CBC’s new original Canadian greenlights include drama series Junior inspired by P.K. Subban's junior hockey experience and comedy The Ambassador starring Samantha Bee.
May 22nd at 12:00

New to CBC Gem in June

In June, new titles join the Indigenous Stories Collection, including documentary Channel Original Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising, from Shane Belcourt and Tanya Talaga, and roundtable series Rematriate the Lens; and the Watch With Pride Collection, including CBC Arts' interview series Here & Queer. 
May 13th at 6:55

The Tragically Hip to release live album and CBC to air The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Concert in full

Relive the night Canada stood still for the live broadcast of The Tragically Hip’s 2016 Man Machine Poem Kingston show, re-broadcasting and streaming commercial-free on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 7 p.m. local time on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio and CBC Music’s YouTube page.