2026 Lane Anderson Award: Shortlists announced

The Lane Anderson Award, an award created and funded by the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, just announced the shortlists in its two categories, Young Reader and Adult Reader. These awards honour the very best in science writing in Canada today. Each of the winners will be awarded $10,000 at a ceremony to be held in Toronto in January, 2027.

Young reader shortlist:

The Buzz on Wild Bees: The Little-Known Pollinators that Keep Our Planet Humming
Written by Kira Vermond 

Illustrated by June Steube 

Owlkids Books

The Gland Factory: A Tour of Your Body’s Goops, Juices, and Hormones
Written by Rachel Poliquin

Illustrated by Clayton Hanmer 

Greystone Kids

The Story and Science of Hope
Written by Andrea Curtis

Illustrated by Ana Suárez 

Groundwood Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(While we don't promote adult books on CanLit for LittleCanadians, I thought you might be interested to see the Adult shortlist. Here it is:

The Lobster Trap: The Global Fight for a Seafood on the Brink
Written by Greg Mercer 

Penguin Random House Canada / McClelland & Stewart

Meltdown: The Making and Breaking of a Field Scientist
Written by Sarah Boon 

University of Alberta Press

The Mind Mappers: Friendship, Betrayal and the Obsessive Quest to Chart the Brain
Written by Eric Andrew-Gee 

Penguin Random House Canada

 

 

 

 

 

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For more information about the Fitzhenry Family Foundation and the Lane Anderson Award, please visit their website at www.laneandersonaward.ca.

 

2025 Lane Anderson Award: Winner announced

 

The Lane Anderson Award for excellence in Canadian science writing was awarded on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 in Toronto. The event, hosted by Carol-Ann Hoyte and Winston Stitwell, presented the winners from shortlists selected by independent juries of experts in science, science writing and literature. The awards created and sponsored by the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, and named for the mothers of its two founders, Robert and Hilda Fitzhenry, were given in two categories, one for adults and the other for young readers, with each winner receiving a generous $10,000.

 

 

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Congratulations to this year's winner

in the Young Reader category

 

 

A Planet Is a Poem
Written by Amanda West Lewis
Illustrated by Oliver Averill
Kids Can Press
56 pp.
Ages 8-12
2024

Reviewed here

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2025 Lane Anderson Award: Shortlists

Yesterday, the finalists for the Lane Anderson Award, a book award that celebrates excellence in Canadian science writing, were announced. The Lane Anderson Award, created and sponsored by the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, is given in two categories, one for adults and the other for young readers. Each winner receives a generous $10,000.

 

 

The basic criteria for submissions are the following: 

• The author must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
• The book must be published by a Canadian-owned publishing house, have an ISBN, and be available for sale in bookstores in Canada.
• All entries must be published in English between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. 
  

 

The 2025 Lane Anderson Award Ceremony will take place on Thursday, January 29, 2026 in Toronto. Details about tickets have been posted below.

 

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Congratulations to this year's finalists 

in the Young Reader category

 

I Am Wind: An Autobiography
Written by Rachel Poliquin

Illustrated by Rachel Wada
Tundra Books

80 pp.

Ages 8-12

2024

A Planet Is a Poem
Written by Amanda West Lewis

Illustrated by Oliver Averill

Kids Can Press

56 pp.

Ages 8-12

2024

Remember This: The Fascinating World of Memory
Written by Monique Polak

Illustrated by Valéry Goulet

Orca Book Publishers

96 pp.

Ages 8-12

2024 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Update:

 

Details about the Lane Anderson Award Ceremony have been announced. Register here through Eventbrite.

 

Date:            Thursday, January 29, 2026

 

Time:           7:00–9:30 p.m. 

 

Location:     Palm House at Allan Gardens

                    160 Gerrard Street East

                    Toronto, ON 

                    M5A 2E5 

 

Tickets are free but you must register. 

 

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2024 Lane Anderson Award: Winner announced

The Lane Anderson Award for excellence in Canadian science writing was awarded this week. The award created and sponsored by the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, is given in two categories, one for adults and the other for young readers with each winner receiving a generous $10,000.

 

 

  • • • • • • •

Congratulations to this year's winner

in the Young Reader category

 

 

 

Polar: Wildlife at the Ends of the Earth
Written by L. E. Carmichael
Illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler
Kids Can Press
48 pp.
Ages 7-11
2023

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Look for my interview with L. E. Carmichael and Byron Eggenschwiler soon for some insights into writing non-fiction and their award-winning book.