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Submissions

Deadline

May 31, 2025 deadline for March 2026 awarding.

All entries for the 2026 Award must be published in English between January 1, 2023 and May 31, 2025.

The Prize

  • The KOBZAR™ Book Award, valued at $25,000, is awarded every second year. The author of the winning submission will be awarded $20,000 and the publisher of the work will be awarded $5,000.
  • The KOBZAR™ Book Award is sponsored by the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko (Shevchenko Foundation), a national, chartered philanthropic institution.

Eligibility

  • Authors must be either Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
  • Genres include literary non-fiction, fiction, poetry, young readers’ literature, play, screenplay, and musical.
  • The topic must have a tangible connection to the experiences of Ukrainian Canadians.

Submission Terms

  • Works may be submitted by writers, Canadian publishers, or literary agents.

Canadian Publisher means a person or entity who:

  1. makes a publication available in Canada, and
  2. publishes from an official office of business that resides within Canada, and
  3. indicates that the published material’s place of publication, when it is given, is within Canada, and
  4. has at least 75% of its employees based in Canada, and
  5. is at least 80% beneficially owned by a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, or is fully owned by Canadian institutions or associations that are in turn at least 80% beneficially owned by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants.
  • All books must have an ISBN, and be distributed in print book format in Canada.
  • Reprints will not be considered.
  • Titles may be submitted only once.
  • There is no limit to the number of titles that may be submitted by a nominator, provided that the work entered meets all other eligibility requirements.

Submission Requirements

  • A completed and signed entry form. Download entry form here.
  • Author’s curriculum vitae.
  • Each nomination must be submitted with a letter of consent from the author.
  • Note: A letter of consent from the author is not required if the publisher is submitting the entry form.
  • Six (6) copies of the publication must be submitted to: THE KOBZAR™ Book Award
    Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko
    315-260 St.Mary Avenue
    Winnipeg, MB R3C 0M6

Submission Process

  • Submissions will be judged by a three-person jury in a peer-review process.
  • A Board Member of the Shevchenko Foundation will sit on the jury as a non-voting advisor.
  • The composition of the jury will be announced four (4) months prior to announcing a winner.

Award Announcements

  • A shortlist will be published two (2) months prior to announcing a winner.

Conditions of the Prize

  • All entry material, including book copies, will become the property of the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko (Shevchenko Foundation)
  • Nominated and/or winning author(s) agree to participate in all reasonable publicity associated with the KOBZAR™ Book Award, including interviews, readings and appearances.
  • Publishers agree to include the KOBZAR™ Book Award decal on all copies of the shortlisted and/or winning book(s) on all subsequent reprints. These decals or their template will be provided by the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko (Shevchenko Foundation).

All inquires should be directed to:

THE KOBZAR™ Book Award
Shevchenko Foundation
315-260 St. Mary Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3C 0M6
Website: www.shevchenkofoundation.com
Phone: (204) 944-9128
Toll-Free: (866) 524-5314