Canadian Book Club Awards – 2025 Submission Criteria
The Canadian Book Club Awards celebrate books that resonate most with Canadian readers. Open to traditionally published, self-published, and hybrid-published authors worldwide, our awards are judged solely by Canadian readers—ensuring the winners are chosen based on real reader engagement.
2025 Award Timeline
- Submission Deadline: September 30, 2025, at 6 PM PST
- Finalists Announced: November 2025
- Winners Announced: February 2026
Eligibility
To be eligible, books must:
- Be published between January 1, 2019, and September 30, 2025
- Be available in English
- Fall into one of our eligible genres (see below)
- Be available in both EPUB and print formats
Avid Readers & Submission Format
All submitted books are reviewed by Avid Readers—a panel of dedicated book lovers who determine our finalists. To ensure accessibility and ease of reading, we now require books to be submitted in either:
- EPUB format (for digital reading)
- Print copies (maximum of 5 Avid Readers per category)
📌 Note: PDFs are no longer accepted, as they are not easily accessible for many readers. If submitting physical copies, we will provide mailing details.
Verified Readers & Accessibility
Our Verified Readers cast the final votes for the winners. To ensure accessibility, we ask authors to:
Provide purchase links for their book, prioritizing:
- Indigo
- Independent Canadian bookstores
- Kobo
If your book is only available on Amazon, that is completely fine! However, if it is listed elsewhere, we encourage you to share those links with us.
📚 Library Access: We also recommend making your book available through OverDrive or Libby to ensure Verified Readers with financial constraints have access. Learn more:
Kobo & Supporting Canadian Businesses
As a Canadian awards program, we strongly encourage listing books on Rakuten Kobo, a Canadian ebook retailer. Kobo provides another avenue for Verified Readers and supports our mission of keeping Canadian publishing accessible. Learn how to list your book on Kobo here.
2025 & Future Considerations
These accessibility measures are mandatory for 2025—meaning all books must be available in both EPUB and print formats to be eligible.
Looking ahead to 2026, further accessibility measures will be required. Additionally, if two books receive the same final reader score, preference will be given to the more accessible book—ensuring fairness and greater reader participation.
We’re thrilled to celebrate outstanding books and connect them with passionate Canadian readers. If you have any questions about your submission, feel free to reach out!
Categories:
In the 2025 awards, there are 13 categories awaiting your submissions:
- Non-Fiction/Non-Fiction Education
- Memoirs
- Fiction
- Business/Self-Help
- Spirituality/Wellness
- Children’s
- Early Readers
- Thriller/Mystery
- Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Romance
- Young Adult Fiction (YA)
- Poetry
- Anthology/Short-Story
*Please note, CBCA reserves the right to re-categorize submitted titles based on their content/genre.
2025 Submissions are open:
EARLY BIRD: Until January 10th, 2025: 129 CAD- NEW YEAR: January 11th – April 30, 2025: $159 CAD
- SPRING: May 1 – July 31 2025: $199 CAD
- LAST CHANCE: August 1– September 30 , 2025: $249 CAD
Join us in celebrating the magic of storytelling and the joy of discovering your next favourite read.
Prizes
All Entries Receive
- CBCA social media exposure with links to purchase copies of submitted books on Amazon
- @TheCanadianBookClubAwards social media coverage
- CBCA GoodReads Reading list
Finalists Receive
- 100 award stickers labelling the author’s book as a “Finalist of The Canadian Book Club Awards”
- Digital award sticker to be added to book’s cover
- Mention in CBCA media coverage announcing all finalists
- @TheCanadianBookClubAwards social media coverage
Winners Receive
- 100 award stickers labelling the author’s book as a “Winner of The Canadian Book Club Awards”
- Digital award sticker to be added to book’s cover
- Media coverage announcing all finalists
- Social media coverage from @TheCanadianBookClubAwards and their sponsors