The Sunburst jury says: "This is a beautifully-written, fascinating, epic alternate history with engaging, believable characters; evocative, moody, lyrical, emotionally touching, with cleverly elaborate plotting."
Guy Gavriel Kay is the award-winning author of twelve previous works. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages. He lives in Toronto.
The Sunburst jury says: "Engagingly written, cleverly plotted. The world needs more well-adjusted genius girl geeks. Not to mention smart and sensible parents of said genius girl geeks. The premise convincingly reverses the clichés about technological progress and the future of human beings while exploring issues of free will, morality, and fear of change."
Science fiction writer and futurist Robert J. Sawyer is the award-winning writer of nineteen previous novels. He lives in Mississauga.
The Sunburst jury says: "This collection contains a beautifully diverse selection of short tales that runs the full spectrum of the speculative genres. The tales are well-crafted, easily digestible; several of the stories are incredibly moving and stick with the reader long after. The wide range of stylistic approaches works well together."
Douglas Smith is a short story writer of speculative fiction, with over a hundred story sales in twenty-nine countries and twenty-four languages around the world. Chimersacope is his second collection.
The Sunburst jury says: "The writing and the charismatic characters elevate this story above the genre clichés of good-versus-evil."
Canadian S. M. Stirling was born in France and lives in New Mexico. He has published over forty works of speculative fiction.
The Sunburst jury says: "This hard-boiled police procedural/detective story rife with intriguing glimpses into an emerging "borg" culture races through a suspense-filled plot while questioning the very basis of humanity."
Nova Scotian playright Hayden Trenholm has published three previous novels. He lives in Ottawa.
The Sunburst jury says: "A modern retelling of an old and recognizable Celtic myth, which gives the sense of "real people" without losing the mythic arc of the story. Lyrical writing draws the reader into a fantasy realm in a way that blurs the lines between reading and experiencing."
Holly Bennett is an editor for Today's Parent and has written 5 previous novels. She lives in Peterborough.
The Sunburst jury says: "Delightful prose adds to the enjoyment of this interesting fantasy of a young girl who has to decide the value of her own shadow. The darkness in this story is more the recognizable darkness intrinsic to human nature rather 'other'. The story engendered a sense of unease that the evil wasn't going to be neatly and effortlessly tidied away. "
Poet Erin Bow lives in Kitchener. Plain Kate is her first novel.
The Sunburst jury says: "This novel blends the familiar story of a young man negotiating between cultures and the fantastic story of an emerging supernatural creature. All the amazing, unpredictable and sometimes tragic other ordinary and extraordinary persons are revealed with masterful control over the pacing and storytelling."
Musician and best-selling fantasy writer Charles de Lint has written over 35 novels and 18 story collections. He lives in Ottawa.
The Sunburst jury says: "This story evokes what the first few years of real reading were like - tumbling into story after story and losing track of the boundary between oneself and the books for a while. A must for any book-lover of any age."
Paul Glennon was born in England but has lived and worked in Ottawa since 1975. Bookweirder is his fourth book.
The Sunburst jury says: "The whole backstory of the element of fairy dust and the underground society was done in a fascinating way. The main character wonderfully struggles to redeem himself and work out from under a pretty heavy personal burden. The layers upon layers of the story keep the reader enthralled."
Robert Paul Weston lives in Toronto; Dust City is his second book.
The awards will be presented on September 14, 2011 as part of Authors at Harbourfront Centre's weekly reading series following brief readings from each of the short-listed works.
