The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts is pleased to announce that George M. Abbott is the winner of the inaugural Al and Eurithe Purdy BC Award for Excellence for his book Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now, published by UBC Press.
Abbott was announced as the winner at the opening of the 2026 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts on Thursday, August 13, and was presented with the $5,000 award by Anna Comfort O’Keeffe, chair of the festival committee. As the current Chief Commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission, George Abbott brings a rare insider’s perspective to Unceded, chronicling more than 150 years of BC-Indigenous relations and the failure to resolve Aboriginal title.
The three-title shortlist for the prize included One Arrow Left: The Memoir of Secwépemc Knowledge Keeper Cecilia DeRose, by Cecilia DeRose with Sage Birchwater (Caitlin Press), and Rufous and Calliope by Sarah Louise Butler (Douglas & McIntyre). Serving on the jury were Colleen Hourigan, retired educator and SCFWA board member; Brian Thomas Isaac, the award-winning author of All the Quiet Places and Bones of a Giant; and Kara Stanley, acclaimed author of Fallen and The Pain Project.
In awarding the prize, the jury praised Unceded as a “timely and meticulously drawn chronology of the historical injustices imposed by the government of BC, clearly demonstrating how current debates regarding First Nations’ rights and land titles are the direct result of a series of policy decisions by key government officials beginning in the mid-19th century. Abbott chronicles the dedicated actions of First Nation leaders who, despite enduring decades of dispossession and deep injustice, have persevered to pass on a legacy of resistance down through generations. This is a book of both impressive archival research and profound relevance for the contemporary challenges faced in creating a better, more just, future. This book is written in clear and engaging language and should be required reading for all British Columbians.”
Established by Eurithe Purdy in memory of her late husband, acclaimed Canadian writer Al Purdy, the award recognizes an outstanding work of fiction or non-fiction written by a British Columbia author and published by a BC-based publisher. “I was extremely pleased with the response to the first Purdy BC Award for Excellence,” said Eurithe Purdy. “The shortlist was exceptional, and Unceded is a worthy winner. My congratulations to all concerned.”