City of Victoria Butler Book Prize Canadians From Victoria Only - Deadline May 31, 2014

Eligibility Criteria Please Read Carefully:


The following criteria must be met for books to be deemed eligible for the Victoria Book Prizes awards:
The author must be a resident of the Capital Region* and have resided in the area for a minimum of two years immediately prior to publication.
Where a book is co-authored, both writers must meet the residency criteria.
Books whose author is deceased at the time of publication are not eligible.
Books must be English-language, first-edition trade books, written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
For the 2014 prize, the book submitted must have been published between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014, and must be a new work, not a re-issue or a revision of a previous work.

The work being submitted must:
Be fiction, literary non-fiction, or poetry. The following works are not eligible: bibliographies, cookbooks, travel guides, exhibition catalogues, instruction manuals, self-help books, scholarly books, text books, reference books, chapbooks and any self-published, cooperatively, or corporately published books.
Contain no fewer than 48 pages and no less than 40% text
Have an ISBN and be professionally published.
Please note: the prize is for literary excellence, and therefore only books deemed outstanding in this regard should be submitted.

The following types of books are deemed NOT eligible:
Multi-authored collections, anthologies and conference proceedings.
Books written by a ghostwriter.
English translations of books originally written in other languages.
Reprints of books published in previous Award years.
Self-published books or books published through self-publishing services. Please see definition of self-publishing below.
Books where more than 20% of the manuscript has been previously published in book form.

Please note:
Submitted books will not be returned.
Payment is by cheque only. Cheques should be made out to the Victoria Book Prize Society. Cheques submitted for works that are deemed ineligible will be destroyed.
Publishers and authors will be contacted only in the event that the submitted book is shortlisted.
Self-publishing/Co-operative Publishing vs. Professional Publishing:


A book is considered self-published or co-operatively published if it is published under ANY of the following circumstances:
the author has paid for all or part of the cost of publication and/or distribution of the work;
the author is required by the publisher to pay for editorial and/or production of the book;
the author is required by the publisher to pay for marketing;
the book is published by a privately held publishing company with which the author has a familial or personal relationship;
the book is published by a company or imprint that does not publish other authors;
the book is published by publishing company in which the author has a financial interest.

In contrast, in order for a book to be considered professionally published it must meet ALL of the following criteria:
the publisher offers a screening process where a book selected for publication is followed up by a contract with an author and a professional editorial and production process;
the editorial and production process is independent of the author and is taken on by the publisher at its own cost;
the publisher prints the full press run, stores the books, pays royalties and, through a variety of methods, promotes, sells and distributes the books across Canada and internationally;
the publisher has a proven track record of publishing books in adherence to these professional standards and more.

Please note: If you self-publish your book and it is later picked up by a professional publisher, then your book may be eligible for the Prize.

We review our policies every year. Please check our website for updates and further information.
Jury Process


The winning work will be decided by an independent three-person jury selected by the Board of the Victoria Book Prize Society. Jurors’ names will be made public at the annual award presentation.
Assessment Criteria

Literary merit of the work.
Compliance with the eligibility criteria.
Deadlines and Awards Schedule

All submissions must be received between April 12 and May 31, 2014. If mailed, submissions must be post-marked no later than May 31, 2014.
The short list will be announced at the beginning of September, 2014.
The winner will be announced at a gala at the Union Club in Victoria on October 15, 2014.
Please Mail/Drop Off Submissions To:


The Victoria Book Prize Society
c/o Target Storage Ltd.
13 – 747 Princess Avenue
Victoria, BC V8T 1K5

Submissions may be delivered in person between
8 am - 8 pm Monday thru Friday,
11 am - 5 pm Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
For More Information, Contact


Michelle Wong, President, Victoria Book Prize Society, victoriabookprizes@shaw.ca.

* For the municipalities and electoral areas that comprise the Capital Region, please visit www.crd.bc.ca.