The Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction is an annual award that honors the best creative nonfiction book from the previous year. The book must be written by a Canadian author and focus on a Canadian place or topic. It must also be the author’s first or second published book of any kind. The award was created with a gift from Edna Staebler, a writer known for her cookbooks. It began in 1991 for books published in 1990. The award is managed by the Faculty of Arts at Wilfrid Laurier University. Only books that are entered into the competition are considered.

For this award, creative nonfiction is defined as writing that is more like a story than a news article. The writer shares a personal experience with the reader by telling a true story using techniques from fiction. Instead of focusing on being neutral, the book should express emotions and be interesting and easy to read.

Recipients

The panel may choose to give or not give the award each year. The award has been given every year, and in 1993, there were two winners (the results were published in 1992).

In the 2020s, the awards were delayed for a few years because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The nominees for 2020 were announced in July 2022, with the winner to be announced in August. The nominees for 2021 are expected later in the same year. After the delays caused by the pandemic, a list of possible winners was announced on May 18, 2023.