Deadline: June 30, 2023
Applications for the Banff Mountain Book Competition 2023 are now open. Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival celebrates mountain literature, film, and photography, bringing together filmmakers, writers, publishers, editors, photographers, athletes, adventurers, and – of course – readers.
Featuring film screenings, guest speakers, readings, seminars and book signings, the Festival offers a wide spectrum of experiences for the mountain film and book-loving audience. As a key program of Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, the Book Competition is an internationally recognized literary competition that celebrates mountain literature in all its forms.
Categories
Prizes will be awarded in each of the following categories:
- Adventure Travel: Non-fiction books with a theme of travel to, and exploration of, remote and/or rugged landscapes and their cultures.
- Mountain Fiction & Poetry: Includes fiction and poetry books with a focus on mountain topics. Creative narratives about climbing and mountaineering, exploration and mountain culture are acceptable.
- Guidebook: Non-fiction books dealing with physical activities in mountain environments; including hiking, climbing, mountaineering and “how-to” books.
- Mountain Image: Includes books with a primary focus on mountain images and with text in a complementary role. Images may include photographs or reproductions of artwork.
- Mountain Article (New for 2022): Includes articles or short form essays under 7,000 words with mountain themes including, but not limited to: climbing, adventure, conservation and mountain literature. Articles may be fiction, historical or non-fiction narratives, and can be submitted by either an editor or author of the article. This category accepts articles that have been published in print or digitally.
- Environmental Literature (New for 2022): Includes books that pertain to the environment, specifically related to flora, wildlife, conservation and climate change. Scholastic research and academic papers/texts will not be accepted.
- Mountain Literature: Includes non-fiction books, such as memoirs, biographies and narratives on mountaineering, climbing history, mountain exploration, mountain culture, and human experiences of any kind in the mountain wilderness.
- Climbing Literature: All titles that are longlisted and have a theme of climbing are eligible for this award.
- Grand Prize: Awarded to a book chosen from the winners in the above categories.
Awards
- Over $20,000 in cash is awarded annually with 8 awards selected by an international jury of writers, adventurers and editors.
Eligibility
- Entries must be first editions published in 2022 or 2023.
- Each book entry must include Five (5) finished copies of the book (or two (2) advance reading copies). These are necessary for the preview and judging process and will NOT be returned.
- New editions of previously published titles may be eligible if previous editions have not been entered in the competition in the past. Each title may be entered in the competition only once.
- Entries for all categories may be submitted by authors or publishers. Coordinate to avoid duplication.
Application
The entry form must be submitted online by June 30, 2023. Early submission is encouraged and appreciated.
For more information, visit Banff Mountain Book Competition.
