The City of Toronto and Toronto Public Library are proud to celebrate the power of storytelling and the importance of literature through the annual Toronto Book Awards. Since 1974, the awards have honoured works that capture Toronto’s spirit, reflect its diversity and deepen understanding of life in the city.
The Toronto Book Awards recognizes the vital role literature plays in building empathy, sparking dialogue and connecting communities. This year’s winner was announced earlier this evening at a special event at the Toronto Reference Library, presented with the Toronto Public Library.
Maggie Helwig has been awarded the 2025 Toronto Book Award for Encampment: Resistance, Grace and an Unhoused Community, published by Coach House Books. The jury praised Encampment as “a difficult book to put down once you start reading and impossible to forget once you finish. Helwig’s exceptional storytelling compels us to care.”
Helwig has been an Anglican priest at St. Stephen’s-in-the-Fields since 2013 and is the author of 15 books and chapbooks, including Girls Fall Down (Coach House, 2008), which was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award and chosen as the One Book Toronto selection in 2012.
Encampment was chosen from a list of finalists that included:
A reading list of the shortlisted titles is available on Toronto Public Library’s webpage: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/tba/
The jury included Canadian literary voices and advocates Sam Hiyate, Sophie Jai, Wanda Nanibush, Don Oravec and David Silverberg. The winning author will receive a prize of $20,000 and shortlisted finalists will each receive $2,000. More information about the awards is available at www.toronto.ca/bookawards
Quote:
“We are thrilled to congratulate and celebrate Maggie Helwig, this year’s Toronto Book Award winner. Her remarkable book Encampment: Resistance, Grace and an Unhoused Community exemplifies the kind of compelling, thought-provoking writing that inspires readers and future writers alike, and has deeply resonated with readers in our community. I hope that Torontonians will add this book to their reading list.”
– Moe Hosseini-Ara, City Librarian, Toronto Public Library
Toronto is home to more than three million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation and climate action, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City's website or follow us on X, Instagram or Facebook.