Go to main content

2023 CBC SHORT STORY PRIZE FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Five finalists have been chosen from more than 2300 entries from across the country

The Grand Prize winner, announced April 18, will receive a $6000 cash prize from the Canada Council for the Arts and a two-week writing residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point

CBC Books, CBC’s online home for literary content, together with its partner the Canada Council for the Arts, have announced the finalists for the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize.

The finalists are:

The stories were selected from more than 2,300 entries received from across Canada. The public can read the shortlisted stories on cbcbooks.ca. The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on Tuesday, April 18.

The 2023 CBC Short Story Prize jurors are Kim Fu, Norma Dunning and Steven Price.

Kim Fu is the author of the short story collection Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, which is on the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. Fu's first novel, For Today I Am a Boy, won the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her second novel, The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Awards. Fu's writing has appeared in Granta, the Atlantic, the New York Times, BOMB, Hazlitt and the TLS. Born in Calgary and raised in Vancouver, Fu now lives in Seattle.

Norma Dunning is an Inuk writer as well as a scholar, researcher, professor and grandmother. Her latest short story collection, Tainna: The Unseen Ones, won the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. Her previous short story collection, Annie Muktuk and Other Stories won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the Howard O'Hagan Award for short stories and the Bronze Foreword Indies Award for short stories. Her next book, Kinauvit?: What's Your Name? The Eskimo Disc System and a Daughter's Search for her Grandmother, was published last fall. Dunning lives in Edmonton.

Steven Price is the author of Lampedusa, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the B.C. Book Prize. His previous novels include By Gaslight, which was longlisted for the 2016 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and Into that Darkness. He has also written two poetry books, Anatomy of Keys, which won the Gerald Lampert Award, and Omens in the Year of the Ox, which won the ReLit Award. He is also the author of historical fantasy Ordinary Monsters, written under the name J M Miro.

In addition to a cash prize of $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Grand Prize winner will have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point and will be published on the CBC Books website. The four other finalists will each receive $1000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and will be published on CBC Books

Visit cbcbooks.ca for the complete CBC Short Story Prize longlist or for more information on the CBC Literary Prizes.

-30-

About CBC Books 

Home to Canada Reads, Writers & Company with Eleanor Wachtel, The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers, Canada Writes and the CBC Literary Prizes, CBC Books connects Canadians with books, encouraging a shared love of reading and writing. For book news, writing challenges, reading lists, book recommendations and more, visit cbcbooks.ca

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada's trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

About Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s public arts funder, with a mandate to "foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts."

The Council’s grants, services, initiatives, prizes, and payments contribute to the vibrancy of a creative and diverse arts and literary scene and support its presence across Canada and abroad. The Council’s investments foster greater engagement in the arts among Canadians and international audiences.

The Council’s Public Lending Right (PLR) program makes annual payments to creators whose works are held in Canadian public libraries.

For further information, contact:

Astoria Luzzi

CBC PR

astoria.luzzi@cbc.ca

416-885-3205

Diane Hargrave

DHPR Communications Inc.

dhprbks@interlog.com

416-467-9954

 

Discover

2 days ago

New to CBC Gem in March 2026

March on CBC Gem includes coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games from March 6–15; new original CBC docuseries Cirque Life (March 19, also on CBC TV); The 55th Annual JUNO Awards (live on March 29) hosted by Mae Martin; and the Spotlight on Canadian Film Collection, including CBC Films' titles such as D.W. Waterson's Backspot (pictured). 
5 days ago

CBC Greenlights Six Original Kids Series

CBC today announced the greenlight of six new and returning original kids series from Canadian creators and producers, reinforcing the national public broadcaster’s commitment to serve children and families with homegrown storytelling that inspires, entertains and informs. 
February 9th at 10:32

Just for Laughs, NorthWest Comedy & CBC Announce Production of CBC Gem Original Series THE NEW WAVE OF STANDUP Season 7

Make ‘em laugh… The New Wave of Standup Season 7 brings together another incredible array of 14 comedians from across the country. The live show taping returns to the iconic Gastown establishment, Guilt & Co. on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. 
January 28th at 9:00

CBC Unveils the Trailer and Key Art for New Original Documentary Series Cirque Life

 CBC today unveiled the trailer and two key art versions for the upcoming CBC immersive docuseries Cirque Life (5x60), which will pull back the curtain on the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil and offer an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at one of the company's most celebrated shows, LUZIA. 
January 26th at 12:50

Dragons’ Den Full Circle finale event to close milestone Season 20, airing February 26 and March 5 on CBC and CBC Gem

CBC’s hit series Dragons’ Den will mark its milestone 20th season with a two-episode, Full Circle finale event on Thursday, February 26 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and Thursday, March 5 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service.