The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, will be hosting the 50th annual Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival this year. The event brings together adventurers, writers, filmmakers, and enthusiasts to celebrate the mountains. As part of the festival, the Book Competition recognises outstanding mountain literature across various genres, awarding $29,000 annually through eight awards. The winners are chosen from a longlist of 29 finalists, drawn from 142 submissions across 11 countries.
The 2025 Book Competition jury includes David Chambre (France), Paul Scully (UK), and Kate Neville (Canada). The Grand Prize ($5,000, sponsored by The Alpine Club of Canada) will be announced on Nov. 6. All category winners listed below are eligible for this prestigious award.
Climbing Literature
$3,000 – Sponsored by NOLS
Title: Moving the Needle
Author: Dave MacLeod
Publisher: Rare Breed Productions (UK, 2024)
Jury Comment: “MacLeod, a daring climber, shares a transparent account of his journey from a working-class Scottish background. This core climbing book offers deep insights into the psychology of overcoming self-doubt to achieve extreme feats.” – David Chambre
Mountain Literature (Non-Fiction) – The Jon Whyte Award
$3,000 – Sponsored by The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Title: Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali
Author: Cassidy Randall
Publisher: Abrams (USA, 2025)
Jury Comment: “A trailblazing tale of courage, ambition, and history reclaimed. Randall brings to life the long-overlooked story of the first all-women’s expedition to summit North America’s highest peak. Meticulously researched yet swift in pace, this is a powerful portrait of perseverance and solidarity, giving voice to the women whose stories echo across time.” – Paul Scully
Mountain Fiction & Poetry
$3,000 – Sponsored by the Town of Banff
Title: An Abundance of Wild Roses
Author: Feryal Ali-Gauhar
Publisher: Canongate (UK, 2024)
Jury Comment: “Harsh, haunting, and mythic, this novel takes us into Pakistan’s mountains, weaving bold, poetic prose with the lives of spirit-beings and villagers. Ali-Gauhar links the losses of snow leopards, markhors, and cedar forests with the struggles of those bound by social strictures, fear, and grief.” – Kate Neville
Environmental Literature
$3,000 – Sponsored by Rab
Title: The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light
Author: Craig Childs
Publisher: Torrey House Press (USA, 2025)
Jury Comment: “Childs’ delightful bicycle journey from Las Vegas to Nevada’s dark skies connects our earth-bound lives to the cosmos. With tenderness, he explores our fraught ties with wildness and domesticity, showing how charting planetary rhythms can rebuild relationships on the ground.” – Kate Neville
Adventure Travel
$3,000 – Sponsored by Rocky Mountain Books – RMB
Title: Into the Thaw: Witnessing Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis
Author: Jon Waterman
Publisher: Patagonia Books (USA, 2024)
Jury Comment: “Waterman’s love for the Arctic shines through in this journey through geography and time. Stunning imagery and elegant prose, paired with rich scientific footnotes, make this a powerful narrative balancing despair and optimism in the face of climate change.” – David Chambre
Mountain Image
$3,000 – Sponsored by Mountain Life Media
Title: Eden: A Portrait of Mountain Biking in Aotearoa New Zealand
Author: Nick Stevenson
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Australia (Aotearoa New Zealand, 2025)
Jury Comment: “A breathtaking collection capturing mountain biking in New Zealand’s stunning landscapes. These images, crafted by top photographers, celebrate the alchemy of light, motion, and terrain, highlighting why this land shapes world-class riders.”
– Mason Mashon
Guidebooks
$3,000 – Sponsored by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides – ACMG
Title: Northern Horizons
Author: Will Herman
Publisher: Scottish Mountaineering Press (UK, 2025)
Jury Comment: “A lyrical blend of memoir and guidebook, Herman’s work invites readers to feel the Cumbrian and Scottish mountains. Stunning photographs and evocative prose stir a longing for wild spaces and a meditative connection with the landscape.” – Paul Scully
Northern Horizons
Mountain Article
$3,000 – Sponsored by The Lodge at Bow Lake
Title: Fleet-Winged Ghosts of Greenland
Author: Caroline Van Hemert
Publisher: Hakai Magazine/BioGraphic (USA, 2024)
Jury Comment: “Van Hemert’s brilliant article traces peregrine falcon recovery in Greenland’s fjords, blending science, history, and personal exploration. A lively, deeply researched piece that reveals the precariousness and possibility of redemption.”– Kate Neville
Read the article here
Grand Prize: $5,000 – Sponsored by The Alpine Club of Canada. All category winners are eligible for the Grand Prize, to be announced on Thursday, November 6, 2025, during the 50th Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival.