#BOOKS: SOUVANKHAM THAMMAVONGSA WINS 2025 GILLER PRIZE WITH “PICK A COLOUR”

Souvankham Thammavongsa has been named the winner of the 2025 Giller Prize for her novel, Pick a Colour, published by Knopf Canada, taking home $100,000.

The announcement was made at an award ceremony hosted by the incomparable Rick Mercer. The ceremony was broadcast on CBC, CBC Radio, CBC Listen, and streamed on CBC Gem and the CBC’s YouTube channel.

The remaining finalists, listed below, will each receive $10,000:

● Mona Awad for her novel We Love You, Bunny, published by Scribner Canada

● Eddy Boudel Tan for his novel The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, published by Viking Canada

● Emma Donoghue for her novel The Paris Express, published by HarperCollins Canada

● Emma Knight for her novel The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, published by Viking Canada

The longlisted and shortlisted authors, as well as the winner of the 2025 Giller Prize were selected by an esteemed jury panel: Dionne Irving (jury chair), Loghan Paylor, and Deepa Rajagopalan. On September 15, the jury narrowed down over 100 submitted works to a long list of 14 titles. The shortlist of five was selected on October 6, and just this morning, the jury met to select tonight’s winner.

Of the winning book, the jury wrote:

In Pick a Colour, a former boxer-turned-manicurist spends an ostensibly ordinary summer day at her salon, quietly navigating the tension between her outward anonymity and her sharp, deeply intelligent, inner life. In this exquisite novel, intelligence isn’t inherited through education, status, or privilege–it’s earned. With an inimitable style that decentralizes the English language, crackling wit, and profound confidence, author Souvankham Thammavongsa challenges our biases and insists that we never look at a nail salon, or its workers, the same way again. A master of form and restraint, Thammavongsa once again affirms her place as one of the most vital literary voices of our time.

Souvankham Thammavongsa is the author of four poetry books and the short story collection, How to Pronounce Knife, winner of the 2020 Giller Prize and 2021 Trillium Book Award. Her stories have won an O. Henry Prize and appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and Granta. Pick a Colour is her first novel.

Relive the winning moment by visiting GillerPrize.ca, CBCBooks.ca, or CBC Gem to stream the ceremony on demand.

Images from tonight’s ceremony will be available on the media resources page.

As part of the Giller Prize’s ongoing #BookTalk series, Toronto’s Union Hotel will host a ticketed event on November 18, featuring Souvankham Thammavongsa in conversation with author and journalist, Noah Richler.

For the seventh year in a row, the winner of the Giller Prize will be honoured at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival in Mexico. Founded in 2006, the San Miguel Writers’ Conference is a premier international literary event set in the vibrant cultural heart of Mexico. Souvankham Thammavongsa will be featured at a marquee event in a one-on-one conversation including a short reading followed by a Q&A period with the audience. The event will take place on Sunday, February 15, 2026, from 4 to 5 p.m. local time.

As the winner of the 2025 Giller Prize, Souvankham Thammavongsa will receive a two-week writers residency in the Leighton Artist Studios program at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. This residency includes the use of a private studio, access to Banff Centre facilities including the Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives, and access to Banff Centre talks, events, and performances taking place during the residency.

About the Prize

Founded by Jack Rabinovitch in 1994, the Giller Prize is Canada’s leading and most influentialliterary prize for fiction. The Giller Effect has been recognized industry-wide as one of the topdrivers of book sales in Canada. The Giller Prize awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English, and $10,000 to each of the finalists. The award is named in honour of Jack Rabinovitch’s wife, the late literary journalist, Doris Giller.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages: Dëne Sųłıné, Dene Kǝdǝ́, Dene Zhatıé, Eastern Cree, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun and Tłı̨chǫ. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

About Union Hotel

Union Hotel is an independent boutique property in Toronto’s financial district, steps from Union Station. With 189 thoughtfully designed guest rooms and a vibrant café and lounge, Humble Donkey, Union Hotel celebrates individuality, creativity, and connection. The hotel’s dynamic offerings include a nod to the city’s iconic train station with a Split Flap Display behind the front desk and the lobby Marketplace, featuring hyper-local retail offerings that support emerging and small businesses. By weaving local culture into every aspect of the guest experience, Union Hotel invites guests to live life unscripted.

About the San Miguel Writers’ Conference

Founded 21 years ago, the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival is one of the most celebrated literary gatherings across North America. Based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, this annual event brings together writers, readers, and thinkers from around the world, offering a dynamic program of workshops, keynotes, and panel discussions. Dedicated to fostering a vibrant, inclusive community of voices, the conference supports emerging and established writers alike, with a special commitment to our Spanish-speaking scholarship program for Mexican students. Through its innovative programming, cross-cultural exchange, and support for the literary arts, the San Miguel Writers’ Conference continues to inspire creativity, dialogue, and literary excellence.

About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Founded in 1933, Banff Centre is a post-secondary institution built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and leadership development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become a global organization leading in arts, culture, and creative decision-making across dozens of disciplines, from the fine arts to Indigenous Wise Practices. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to move everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, thinkers, and audiences – to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to build an innovative, inspiring future through education, performances, convenings, and public outreach.

(Photo credit: Ryan Emberley)