The Dartmouth Book Awards committee announces the new Writing for Change Award (formerly the Dartmouth Book Award for non-fiction) for an outstanding non-fiction book by a Nova Scotia author that inspires others, challenges the status quo, and celebrates and shares the stories of Indigenous peoples, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, and/or 2SLGBTQ+ persons.

“The Writing for Change Award was born out of a desire to properly recognize and celebrate those books and authors that are using their pens to inspire, to educate, and sometimes, to kick up the dust and challenge the status quo,” says David Thompson, chair of the DBA committee. “The Dartmouth Book Awards have been honouring local literature for over three decades, and the Writing for Change Award further demonstrates our commitment to be an organization that promotes inclusion and diversity.” 

The Dartmouth Book Awards were established in 1988 by then mayor of Dartmouth Dr. John Savage to celebrate works of Nova Scotian fiction and non-fiction. There are now four Dartmouth Book Awards, two each for fiction and non-fiction: the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award for fiction and for non-fiction; the Dartmouth Book Award for fiction; and the new Writing for Change Award. 

To be eligible, books must be written by a Nova Scotian (or an individual who has been a resident of Nova Scotia for at least two years) and published between November 1, 2020, and October 31, 2021. Self-published, professionally edited books are eligible. For full submission guidelines, including submission forms, visit atlanticbookawards.ca. The deadline for submissions is Monday, November 1, 2021.

The Dartmouth Book Awards are made possible with the financial support of corporations and businesses in the community. For each of the four awards, a community-based jury chooses three finalists, including the winner. The author of each award-winning book receives $2,500. The winners of the four Dartmouth Book Awards will be announced at the Nova Scotia Book Awards ceremony in May 2022, part of the Atlantic Book Awards and Festival.