The Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic is an annual literary award given for a speculative fiction novel or a book-length collection, first awarded in 2001. A young adult category was created in 2008, to differentiate from adult works; and a short fiction award as well. The award has been on hiatus since 2020.
The name of the award comes from the title of the first novel by Phyllis Gotlieb, Sunburst (1964).
The first award was given out in 2001. The award consists of a cash prize (CA$1,000 for novel length work, and CA$500 for short stories) and a medallion. The winner is selected by jury; a new jury is struck each year.
On 2 June 2020, the Sunburst Award Society announced the awards were going on a hiatus due to impacts related to COVID-19.[1]
Prior to 2008, the Sunburst Award was presented in a single category. In later years, it was broken down into two or three categories, including adult, young adult, and short story.
The Sunburst Award for Short Story was introduced in 2016.