| Year | Winner | Nominated |
| 1977 | Ian McLachlan, The Seventh Hexagram
Michael Ondaatje, Coming Through Slaughter |
- Alice Boissoneau, Eileen McCullough
- David Kellum, The Falling World of Tristram Pocket
- Susan Kerslake, Middlewatch
- Sharon Riis, The True Story of Ida Johnson
- Carol Shields, Small Ceremonies
- Mary Soderstrom, The Descent of Andrew McPherson
|
| 1978 | Oonah McFee, Sandbars | Shane Dennison, Sidehill GougerPauline Gedge, Child of the MorningJack Hodgins, The Invention of the WorldM. T. Kelly, I Do Remember the FallHelen Levi, A Small Informal DanceMorley Torgov, The Abramsky Variations |
| 1979 | Joan Barfoot, Abra | Michael Dorland, The Double-Cross CircuitClive Doucet, Disneyland, PleaseMargaret Drury Gane, Parade on an Empty StreetKevin Major, Hold FastFrank Paci, The Italians |
| 1980 | Clark Blaise, Lunar Attractions | Victoria Branden, Mrs. JobStan Dragland, PeckertracksFlorence Evans, A Man Without PassionShirley Faessler, Everything in the WindowKatherine Govier, Random DescentBetty Lambert, Crossings |
| 1981 | W.D. Valgardson, Gentle Sinners | Martyn Burke, Laughing WarSusan Musgrave, The Charcoal BurnersGraham Petrie, SeahorseLeon Rooke, Fat Woman |
| 1982 | Joy Kogawa, Obasan | Jim Christy, StreetheartsGeorge Jonas, Final DecreeEdward O. Phillips, Sunday's ChildGary Ross, Always Tip the Dealer |
| 1983 | W.P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe | Lorris Elliott, Coming for to CarryNessa Rapoport, Preparing for SabbathGeraldine Rahmani, BlueAnn Rosenberg, The Bee Book |
| 1984 | Heather Robertson, Willie: A Romance | Robert G. Collins, Tolerable Levels of ViolenceSusan Swan, The Biggest Modern Woman in the WorldGeorge Szanto, Not WorkingWayne Tefs, Figures on a Wharf |
| 1985 | Geoffrey Ursell, Perdue, or How the West Was Lost | Sharon Butala, Country of the HeartDouglas Glover, PreciousJohn Gray, DazzledSara Stambaugh, I Hear the Reaper's SongArmin Wiebe, The Salvation of Yasch Siemens |
| 1986 | Wayne Johnston, The Story of Bobby O'Malley | Susan Charlotte Haley, A Nest of Singing BirdsAnn Ireland, A Certain Mr. TakahashiFrank Jones, Master and MaidRobert Walshe, Wales' Work |
| 1987 | Karen Lawrence, The Life of Helen Alone | Jo Anne Williams Bennett, Downfall PeopleMarc Diamond, MomentumDavid Gilmour, Back on TuesdayPaulette Jiles, The Late Great Human Road Show |
| 1988 | Marion Quednau, The Butterfly Chair | D.F. Bailey, Fire EyesW.D. Barcus, Squatters' IslandPauline Holdstock, The Blackbird's SongSeán Virgo, Selakhi |
| 1989 | Rick Salutin, A Man of Little Faith | Neil Bissoondath, A Casual BrutalityJoan Clark, The Victory of Geraldine GullDavid Homel, Electrical StormsJanice Kulyk Keefer, ConstellationsHelen Fogwill Porter, January, February, June or July |
| 1990 | Sandra Birdsell, The Missing Child | Marilyn Bowering, To All Appearances a LadyBarry Callaghan, The Way the Angel Spread Her WingsJacqueline Dumas, Madeleine and the AngelKristjana Gunnars, The ProwlerKenneth Radu, Distant Relations |
| 1991 | Nino Ricci, Lives of the Saints | Gail Bowen, Deadly AppearancesRita Donovan, The Dark JewelsGlen Huser, Grace LakeMargot Livesey, HomeworkCarsten Stroud, Sniper's Moon |
| 1992 | Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey | Douglas Coupland, 'Ekbert Faas, Woyzeck's HeadMichael Kenyon, KleinbergAlberto Manguel, News From a Foreign Country Came |
| 1993 | John Steffler, The Afterlife of George Cartwright | Douglas Anthony Cooper, AmnesiaCarole Corbeil, Voice-OverKenneth J. Harvey, BrudGreg Hollingshead, Spin Dry |
| 1994 | Deborah Joy Corey, Losing Eddie | Catherine Bush, Minus TimeDon Dickinson, The CrewDouglas How, Blow Up the Trumpet in the New MoonCarol Malyon, If I Knew I'd Tell You |
| 1995 | Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy | Charles Foran, Kitchen MusicDiane Schoemperlen, In the Language of LoveRussell Smith, How InsensitiveCordelia Strube, Alex & Zee |
| 1996 | Keath Fraser, Popular Anatomy | Diana Atkinson, Highways and DancehallsWayson Choy, The Jade PeonyLarissa Lai, When Fox Is a ThousandYan Li, Daughters of the Red Land |
| 1997 | Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces | Gail Anderson-Dargatz, The Cure for Death by LightningAnn-Marie MacDonald, Fall on Your KneesYann Martel, SelfShani Mootoo, Cereus Blooms at Night |
| 1998 | Margaret Gibson, Opium Dreams | Kim Echlin, Elephant WinterAllan Levine, The Blood LibelRabindranath Maharaj, Homer in FlightTim Wynveen, Angel Falls |
| 1999 | André Alexis, Childhood | Loranne Brown, The Handless MaidenTomson Highway, Kiss of the Fur QueenTerry Jordan, Beneath That Starry PlaceKerri Sakamoto, The Electrical Field |
| 2000 | David Macfarlane, Summer Gone Alan R. Wilson, Before the Flood |
- Alistair MacLeod, No Great Mischief
- Donna Morrissey, Kit's Law
- Jim Munroe, Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask
- Catherine Simmons-Niven, A Fine Daughter
|
| 2001 | Eva Stachniak, Necessary Lies | Steven Galloway, Finnie WalshScott Gardiner, The Dominion of Wyley McFaddenSusan Juby, Alice, I ThinkLydia Kwa, This Place Called Absence |
| 2002 | Michael Redhill, Martin Sloane | Dennis Bock, The Ash GardenMichael Crummey, River ThievesMarina Endicott, Open ArmsLinda Little, Strong HollowElizabeth Ruth, Ten Good Seconds of Silence |
| 2003 | Mary Lawson, Crow Lake | Christy Ann Conlin, HeaveAislinn Hunter, StayClint Hutzulak, The Beautiful Dead EndMichael V. Smith, CumberlandMarnie Woodrow, Spelling Mississippi |
| 2004 | Michel Basilières, Black Bird | Clayton Bailey, The ExpeditionJohn Bemrose, The Island WalkersLisa Grekul, Kalyna's SongBettina von Kampen, Blue Becomes YouEdeet Ravel, Ten Thousand Lovers |
| 2005 | Colin McAdam, Some Great Thing | David Elias, Sunday AfternoonIbi Kaslik, SkinnyArthur Motyer, What's RememberedCatherine Safer, Bishop's Road |
| 2006 | Joseph Boyden, Three Day Road | Howard Akler, The City ManBrenda Brooks, Gotta Find Me an AngelAnne Giardini, The Sad Truth About HappinessKathryn Kuitenbrouwer, The Nettle SpinnerB. Glen Rotchin, The Rent Collector |
| 2007 | Madeleine Thien, Certainty | Peter Behrens, The Law of Dreams John Degen, The Uninvited Guest Annette Lapointe, Stolen Heather O'Neill, Lullabies for Little Criminals Adam Lewis Schroeder, Empress of Asia |
| 2008 | Gil Adamson, The Outlander | David Chariandy, Soucouyant Kyo Maclear, The Letter Opener C.S. Richardson, The End of the Alphabet Brian Tucker, Big White Knuckles Andrew Wedderburn, The Milk Chicken Bomb |
| 2009 | Joan Thomas, Reading by Lightning | Michael Blouin, Chase & Haven Claudia Dey, Stunt Patrick Lane, Red Dog, Red Dog Mary Swan, The Boys in the Trees |
| 2010 | Jessica Grant, Come, Thou Tortoise | Diana Fitzgerald Bryden, No Place Strange Annabel Lyon, The Golden Mean Damian Tarnopolsky, Goya's Dog Dragan Todorović, Diary of Interrupted Days Ian Weir, Daniel O'Thunder |
| 2011 | Eleanor Catton, The Rehearsal | Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, Ghosted Miguel Syjuco, Ilustrado Kathleen Winter, Annabel Dianne Warren, Cool Water |
| 2012 | David Bezmozgis, The Free World | Fraser Nixon, The Man Who Killed Sina Queyras, Autobiography of Childhood Olive Senior, Dancing Lessons Alexi Zentner, Touch |
| 2013 | Anakana Schofield, Malarky | Marjorie Celona, Y Scott Fotheringham, The Rest Is Silence Pasha Malla, People Park Kim Thúy, Ru |
| 2014 | Wayne Grady, Emancipation Day | Kenneth Bonert, The Lion SeekerKrista Bridge, The Eliot GirlsSusan Downe, Juanita Wildrose: My True LifeD. W. Wilson, Ballistics |
| 2015 | Alix Hawley, All True Not a Lie in It | Emma Hooper, Etta and Otto and Russell and JamesSean Michaels, Us ConductorsGuillaume Morissette, New TabChelsea Rooney, Pedal |
| 2016 | Mona Awad, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl | Karim Alrawi, Book of SandsAaron Cully Drake, Do You Think This Is Strange?W. Mark Giles, SeepJudith McCormack, BackspringElizabeth Philips, The Afterlife of Birds |
| 2017 | Katherena Vermette, The Break | Catherine Cooper, White ElephantKaie Kellough, AccordéonRebecca Rosenblum, So Much LoveYasuko Thanh, Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains |
| 2018 | Michael Kaan, The Water Beetles | Sharon Bala, The Boat PeopleDavid Demchuk, The Bone MotherOmar El Akkad, American WarRachel Manley, The Black PeacockAlison Watt, Dazzle Patterns |
| 2019 | Casey Plett, Little Fish | Liz Harmer, The AmateursTyler Hellard, Searching for Terry PunchoutTanya Tagaq, Split ToothJoshua Whitehead, Jonny AppleseedIan Williams, Reproduction |
| 2020 | Stéphane Larue, The Dishwasher' | Nancy Jo Cullen, The Western Alienation Merit BadgeJames Gregor, Going DutchVictoria Hetherington, MooncalvesNazanine Hozar, AriaAndrew David MacDonald, When We Were Vikings'' |
