Every year, CBC Books enlists the help of established writers and editors from across Canada to read the thousands of entries submitted to our prizes.

Our readers compile the longlist, which is given to the jury. The jury, composed of Maria Reva, Terry Fallis and Tracey Lindberg, will then select the shortlist and the eventual winner from the longlisted selections. You can meet the readers for the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize below.

The 2026 CBC Short Story Prize is currently accepting submissions until Nov. 1, 2025.

The winner will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and have their work published on CBC Books.

Here are the writers who will be reading the submissions to the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize.

Daniel AlemanA man with short brown hair smiles at the camera. A book cover shows an open book with a woman and man pulling a body across the page. I Might Be in Trouble is a novel by Daniel Aleman. (Monography, Grand Central Publishing/Hachette)

Daniel Aleman is a Toronto-based author and writer originally from Mexico City. His previous work includes YA novels Indivisible, which was released in 2021 and Brighter than the Sun released in 2023. Indivisible was a recipient of the 2022 Tomás Rivera Book Award. Aleman’s latest novel is I Might Be in Trouble.

I Might Be in Trouble follows struggling author David, reeling from his second book flopping after the resounding success of his first. His boyfriend has dumped him and he’s fresh out of ideas for his third novel. Desperate to find redemption and some inspiration, David goes on a date with a promising stranger. After a wild night out in New York, David wakes to discover his date dead in bed next to him and the fact that he might have been responsible.

Rob BenvieThe book cover with children playing in a forest and the author, a man with short hair looking straight into the cameraThe Damagers is a novel by Rob Benvie. (Knopf Canada, Catherine Stockhausen)

Rob Benvie is a Toronto-based musician and writer originally from Nova Scotia. He has performed with the musical acts Thrush Hermit and The Dears, among others. He is also the author of the novels Safety of War, Maintenance and Bleeding Light. His latest novel is The Damagers.

In The Damagers, after a fire destroys their family’s farmhouse, sisters Zina and Presendia run into the woods where they encounter a group of settlers founded by charismatic man named Peter. Zina is tasked with writing Peter’s teachings in a book, but soon she must choose between taking her place next to Peter in the settlement or turn her back on her new life and adopted flock.

Meredith HambrockA book cover that shows a woman with her hands on her face in horror with a cartoon aesthetic. It is pictured next to a smiling blond woman.She’s a Lamb! is a book by Meredith Hambrock. (ECW Press)

Meredith Hambrock is a novelist and television writer from Saskatoon. Her story You Should Go Over There was longlisted for the 2016 CBC Short Story Prize. She is the author of the novel Other People’s Secrets. Her most recent novel is She’s a Lamb!.

Jessamyn St. Germain is convinced that she’s destined to be a big star. While others might see her dreams as delusional, She’s a Lamb! follows Jessamyn’s relentless quest — revealing the oppressive weight of patriarchy and the depths she will sink to, for a chance to make her dreams a reality.

Mikka JacobsenA composite image that shows a book cover that's purple glittery and salmon pink coloured on the left and on the right is a woman with shoulder length brown hair. Good Victory is a book by Mikka Jacobsen. (Freehand Books, mikkajacobsen.com)

Mikka Jacobsen is a writer of fiction and non-fiction from Calgary. Her work has appeared in Joyland, The Fiddlehead and Prairie Fire, among others. She is the author of Modern Fables, a collection of essays that won the Alberta Book Publishing Award for Non-Fiction. Good Victory is her first collection of stories.

From a woman reconnecting with a childhood friend at a psychic fair, to a neuropsychology student stealing cocaine from his lab rat to impress a date, Good Victory is a collection of short stories about the strange and absurd aspects of growing up, and being human, in the 21st century.

Aviaq JohnstonA book cover of an antler on rocks. A woman with curly brown hair smiling.Leave Our Bones Where They Lay is a book by Aviaq Johnston. (Inhabit Media, Lisa Milosavljevic)

Aviaq Johnston is an Inuk author from Igloolik, Nunavut, currently living in Iqaluit. Her books include Those Who Run in the Sky, which won an Indigenous Voices Award, and its sequel, Those Who Dwell Below. She also writes for younger audiences with books like What’s My Superpower?, which was illustrated by Tim Mack and The Haunted Blizzard, illustrated by Athena Gubbe. Her most recent book is Leave Our Bones Where They Lay.

In Leave Our Bones Where They Lay, Jupi must travel every solstice to the base of a cliff to light a lamp and tell a story to appease an ancient being named Kipik — otherwise, there will be hell to pay. As Jupi nears the end of his life, he’ll have to pass on this burden to future generations, just as was done to him. But his children are not up to the task, so he must ask his granddaughter, who he barely knows, and see if she’ll be willing to carry their family’s weight.

Jinwoo ParkAn Asian man smiles at the camera. A cartoon book cover of three empty soju glasses.Oxford Soju Club is a novel by Jinwoo Park. (Submitted by Jinwoo Park, Dundurn Press)

Jinwoo Park is a Korean Canadian writer based in Montreal. He won the 2021 Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers Award and did his master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford. Park is also a literary translator and received the LTI Korea Translation Award for Aspiring Translators in 2023. His debut novel is Oxford Soju Club.

In Oxford Soju Club, North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is killed without explanation. His protegé Yohan Kim only has one clue to figure out what happened to him — his dying words: “Soju Club, Dr. Ryu.” At the same time, Yunah Choi, a Korean American CIA agent, is pulling at threads for her investigation into North Korean spies after an assassination. As the plot lines become more and more entangled, the Soju Club — the only Korean restaurant in Oxford — seems to be at the heart of all the chaos.

Alex PugsleyA black book cover with a gradient font next to a black and white photo of a man with short hair and facial hair looking at the camera.The Education of Aubrey Mckee is the second Aubrey Mckee novel by Alex Pugsley. (Biblioasis, John Lauener)

Alex Pugsley is a Nova Scotia filmmaker and writer. He is the co-author of the novel Kay Darling. He was named one of CBC’s Writers to Watch and nominated for many awards, including the Canadian Comedy Awards, Gemini Awards and National Magazine Awards. Pugsley won the Writers’ Trust Journey Prize for his short story Crisis on Earth-X and his story collection Shimmer was nominated for the ReLit Award for Short Fiction.

In the follow up to Aubrey McKee, we find Aubrey at a house party in the 1990s, where he falls for the poet Gundrun Peel, who convinces him to steal a slice of cake. Aubrey and Gundrum’s lives quickly intertwine with friends, rivals and lovers amid the backdrop of the underground arts scene, until The Education of Aubrey McKee blows up in spectacular fashion.

Pratap ReddyA composite image of a book cover on the left that shows the bottom half of immigrants from India and on the right is a headshot photo of a man with gray hair.Remaindered People & Other Stories is a book by Pratap Reddy. (Guernica Editions)

Pratap Reddy works as an underwriter by day and a writer by night, focusing on both the joys and struggles of newly arrived immigrants. His previous works include the novel Ramya’s Treasure and the short story collection Weather Permitting & Other Stories. He lives in Mississauga, Ont.

In Reddy’s second short story collection Remaindered People & Other Stories, he sheds light on an often overlooked side of immigration: the parents who stay behind in their home country while their children move abroad. The stories explore the difficult choices these parents face, such as whether they should join their children in their new country or wait for them to return.

Tom RyanThe author photo of a smiling man with glasses and a grey shirt and the book cover with a caution wet floor sign next to the titleWe Had a Hunch is a mystery book by Tom Ryan. (Steph MacNamara, Simon & Schuster Canada)

Tom Ryan is the author of several books for young readers, including I Hope You’re Listening, a YA novel that won the 2021 Lambda Award for best LGBTQ mystery. His novel Keep This to Yourself winner of the 2020 ITW Thriller Award for Best YA Thriller and is being turned into a TV show at Peacock. He spends his time between Ontario and Nova Scotia. His other books include The Treasure Hunters Club and his latest, We Had a Hunch.

It’s been a quarter century since Bruce Phillip Kershaw — better known as The Janitor — terrorized the town of Edgar Mills, Massachusetts. In We Had a Hunch, former teen detectives and twin sisters Alice and Samantha VanDyne now have to solve a new murder that followed the same MO as The Janitor. He’s still in his maximum-security prison cell, but he won’t help unless they let him talk to the twins that put him away 25 years ago.

Jasmine SealyThe book cover with a palm tree over a pink background and the author a woman with a buzzcut and wearing a fuzzy blue sweaterThe Island of Forgetting is a book by Jasmine Sealy. (Benjamin Gardere, HarperCollins)

Jasmine Sealy is a Barbadian-Canadian writer based in Vancouver. She won the 2020 UBC/HarperCollins Best New Fiction Prize and was longlisted for the 2017 CBC Short Story Prize. She has also been published in various publications, including The New Quarterly, Room Magazine, Prairie Fire and Best Canadian Stories 2021. Her debut novel was The Island of Forgetting which won the 2023 Amazon First Novel Award.

The Island of Forgetting is an intimate saga spanning four generations of one family who run a beachfront hotel. Starting in the 1960s and moving from Barbados to Canada, the story examines complex relationships, race, sexuality and the many ways a family’s past can haunt its future.

Iryn TushabeA composite image of a green book cover with black foliage and on the right is a headshot of a Black woman with long braided hair and a burgundy turtleneckEverything is Fine Here is a novel by Iryn Tushabe. (House of Anansi Press, Robin Schlaht)

Iryn Tushabe is a Ugandan Canadian writer and journalist based in Regina. She won the City of Regina writing award in both 2020 and 2024, and was a finalist for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2021. In 2023, she won the Writers’ Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. Tushabe was longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2016. Tushabe was named one of CBC Books writers to watch in 2025.

In Everything Is Fine Here, a younger sister navigates the challenges of family and societal pressures while offering love and support to her older sister, who is gay, in a country with strict anti-homosexuality laws.

Lily WangAn abstract blue and green book cover of a child holding hands with its mother and the author an Asian woman with long blonde hairSilver Repetition is a novel by Lily Wang. (House of Anansi Press, submitted by Lily Wang)

Lily Wang was born in Shanghai and immigrated to Canada when they were six. They have an MA in English and creative writing from the University of Toronto and currently still reside in Toronto.

Silver Repetition traces Chinese Canadian Yuè Yuè’s struggle to understand herself as she moves through her early 20s. Grappling with a divide between herself and her Canadian-born sister and longing to reconnect with a cousin from back home, Yuè Yuè’s story straddles the line between memory and dream, delving into what it means to have culture, language and identity.