Toronto-based Colin McAdam wins $25,000 Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize

TORONTO – Toronto-based author Colin McAdam has won the $25,000 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for his novel “A Beautiful Truth.”

Published by Hamish Hamilton Canada, the story is told both from the perspective of a couple as well as their chimpanzee, Looee.

Born in Hong Kong, McAdam previously won the Books in Canada First Novel Award and has received nominations for both the Governor General’s Award and the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

His book beat out competition that included Lynn Coady’s “Hellgoing” (which won this year’s Giller), Krista Bridge’s “The Eliot Girls,” Cary Fagan’s “A Bird’s Eye” and “Caught” by Lisa Moore.

Moore, however, still had reason to celebrate — the St. John’s, N.L., author won the $25,000 Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award, given to an author in mid-career for his or her entire body of work.

Alberta journalist Andrew Nikiforuk won the $20,000 Matt Cohen Award for lifetime achievement, children’s book illustrator and author Barbara Reid won the $20,000 Vicky Metcalf Award for literature for young people, while Naben Ruthnum won the $10,000 journey prize, given to a developing writer who has recently published a short story.