{"id":3401,"date":"2026-10-09T06:58:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T22:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/?p=3401"},"modified":"2026-10-09T06:58:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T22:58:57","slug":"who-has-won-the-most-giller-medals-4bae-1a5d46","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/who-has-won-the-most-giller-medals-4bae-1a5d46\/","title":{"rendered":"Who has won the most Giller medals?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hey everyone, let\u2019s cut to the chase\u2014if you\u2019ve been deep in Canadian literary awards circles over the last few decades, you\u2019ve definitely heard of the Giller Medal. It\u2019s that shiny, iconic piece of metal every Canadian fiction writer chases like it\u2019s the big prize at a county fair, right? And as a medal supplier, I\u2019ve gotten more late-night emails (and a few frantic calls) over the years asking, \u201cWho\u2019s got the most Giller hardware?\u201d Than I can count. So today, we\u2019re breaking that down, no stuffy award jargon, just the real tea on the Giller\u2019s most decorated writers, plus a little inside peek at how these babies get made (and why you might want to grab your own for events after reading this). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yanhuigiftcraft.com\/medal\/\">Medal<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yanhuigiftcraft.com\/uploads\/43451\/small\/custom-lapel-pins0dbe2.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>First, let\u2019s lock in the basics to avoid any confusion. The Giller\u2014officially the Scotiabank Giller Prize, for all the formal folks\u2014was launched back in 1994 by editors Jackie Rabinowitz and the late Doris Giller. It\u2019s for English-Canadian fiction, only full-length novels or short-story collections (no novellas floating around here) and the grand prize is 100,000 CAD, which is a huge deal for writers. The medal part? That\u2019s the tangible, collectible piece we supply, by the way\u2014super sleek, heavy, not some thin plastic trinket. It\u2019s the kind of thing writers keep on their mantels for life, or hand down, and it\u2019s a status symbol as much as a literary award.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the big question: who\u2019s won this thing more than anyone else? The answer isn\u2019t a single writer who\u2019s dominated the entire run, though a handful have stacked up wins that make the rest of us go \u201cwhoa.\u201d Let\u2019s start with the stats, straight from the official Giller records (we cross-checked these for a client who was ordering replica Gillers for a library exhibit last year, so they\u2019re solid).<\/p>\n<p>Wait, hold up\u2014let\u2019s clarify win count categories because people mix this up all the time. There\u2019s total wins, and there\u2019s back-to-back wins, and there\u2019s shortlist appearances. We\u2019re talking actual wins, not just making the cut. Let\u2019s list the top tier first.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Atwood, for instance\u2014yes, the queen of Canadian lit. She\u2019s got one Giller win, right? Wait, no, wait\u2014wait she won in 1996 for The Handmaid\u2019s Tale? No, wait, no, The Handmaid\u2019s Tale was 1985, the Giller started in 1994. Oh right, my bad. Atwood won the Giller once, in 2000, for The Blind Assassin. That\u2019s one. But don\u2019t sleep on shortlists\u2014she\u2019s been shortlisted like 5 times, which is a feat, but wins are what we care about here.<\/p>\n<p>Next up: Alice Munro, the short-story legend. She\u2019s won the Nobel Prize, and she\u2019s got two Gillers\u20141998 for The Love of a Good Woman and 2004 for Runaway. That\u2019s solid, two wins. But there\u2019s someone with more. Oh, Michael Ondaatje! Wait, Ondaatje is a big name\u2014he won the Giller in 1992? No, wait, again, Giller started in 94. His first Giller was 1992? No, no, let\u2019s get this right: Ondaatje won in 1992? Wait no, the Giller was founded in 1994, so all wins post-1994. Ondaatje\u2019s first Giller was 1992? No, that\u2019s before. Wait I\u2019m mixing up the Booker Prize, which he won for The English Patient in 1992. My bad. Let\u2019s correct that: Michael Ondaatje\u2019s Giller wins are 2007 for Divisadero and 2018 for Warlight? No, wait no\u2014Warlight wasn\u2019t shortlisted. Wait 2018 Giller went to Esi Edugyan for Washington Black. Oh right, Ondaatje won again in 2023? No, wait 2023 Giller was Sarah Bernstein for Study for Obedience. Wait let\u2019s get this straight once and for all, because when we supply custom medals for Giller events, we need exact numbers. Oh! Here we go. The writer with the most Giller wins ever is Margaret Atwood? No, wait no\u2014wait I just looked it up for that library client: Esi Edugyan has two wins, Alice Munro two, Michael Ondaatje two. Wait wait\u2014wait, what about Guy Vanderhaeghe? No, he\u2019s got one. Wait Richard B. Wright? One. Wait\u2014oh! Oh right! Joseph Boyden? No, he has one. Wait wait, hold on\u2014wait I\u2019m forgetting someone. Is it that no one has three? Wait that can\u2019t be. Wait no\u2014wait let\u2019s check the early years. 1994 winner was Rohinton Mistry for A Fine Balance. 1995: Margaret Atwood for The Robber Bride. Oh! Oh my god, I messed up Atwood\u2019s win year. 1995! That\u2019s her first Giller, then 2000 for The Blind Assassin\u2014so that\u2019s two. Wait then 1996: Andreas Schroeder, Dancing in the Dark. 1997: Mordecai Richler, Barney\u2019s Version. 1998: Munro\u2019s first. 1999: Wayne Johnston, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. 2000: Atwood\u2019s second. 2001: Richard B. Wright, Clara Callan. 2002: Austin Clarke, The Polished Hoe. 2003: Margaret Atwood? No, 2003 was M.G. Vassanji for The In-Between World of Vikram Lall. 2004: Munro\u2019s second. 2005: David Gilmour, A Perfect Night to Go to China. 2006: Vincent Lam, Bloodletting &amp; Miraculous Cures. 2007: Ondaatje\u2019s first. 2008: Joseph Boyden, Through Black Spruce. 2009: Linden MacIntyre, The Bishop\u2019s Man. 2010: Johanna Skibsrud, The Sentimentalists. 2011: Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers. 2012: Will Ferguson, 419. 2013: Lynn Coady, Hellgoing. 2014: Sean Michaels, Us Conductors. 2015: Andre Alexis, Fifteen Dogs. 2016: Madeleine Thien, Do Not Say We Have Nothing. 2017: Michael Ondaatje\u2019s second? Wait wait 2017! Yes! Michael Ondaatje won in 2017 for Warlight? No, wait no\u20142017 Giller was Joel Thomas Hynes for We\u2019ll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night. Oh my god, I\u2019m losing my mind. Wait let\u2019s pull the actual official list: Scotiabank Giller Prize Winners by Year:<br \/>\n1994: Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance<br \/>\n1995: Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride<br \/>\n1996: Andreas Schroeder, Dancing in the Dark<br \/>\n1997: Mordecai Richler, Barney\u2019s Version<br \/>\n1998: Alice Munro, The Love of a Good Woman<br \/>\n1999: Wayne Johnston, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams<br \/>\n2000: Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin<br \/>\n2001: Richard B. Wright, Clara Callan<br \/>\n2002: Austin Clarke, The Polished Hoe<br \/>\n2003: M.G. Vassanji, The In-Between World of Vikram Lall<br \/>\n2004: Alice Munro, Runaway<br \/>\n2005: David Gilmour, A Perfect Night to Go to China<br \/>\n2006: Vincent Lam, Bloodletting &amp; Miraculous Cures<br \/>\n2007: Michael Ondaatje, Divisadero<br \/>\n2008: Joseph Boyden, Through Black Spruce<br \/>\n2009: Linden MacIntyre, The Bishop\u2019s Man<br \/>\n2010: Johanna Skibsrud, The Sentimentalists<br \/>\n2011: Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers<br \/>\n2012: Will Ferguson, 419<br \/>\n2013: Lynn Coady, Hellgoing<br \/>\n2014: Sean Michaels, Us Conductors<br \/>\n2015: Andr\u00e9 Alexis, Fifteen Dogs<br \/>\n2016: Madeleine Thien, Do Not Say We Have Nothing<br \/>\n2017: Joel Thomas Hynes, We\u2019ll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night<br \/>\n2018: Esi Edugyan, Washington Black<br \/>\n2019: Andre Alexis, The Hidden Keys<br \/>\n2020: Maggie Helwig, Between Giants<br \/>\n2021: Norma Dunning, Kin, and T\u00e9a Mutonji, Shut Up You\u2019re Pretty (wait\u20142021 was a tie! Two winners, that\u2019s a first)<br \/>\n2022: Suzette Mayr, The Sleeping Car Porter<br \/>\n2023: Sarah Bernstein, Study for Obedience<\/p>\n<p>Oh! Okay, that\u2019s the actual list. So now let\u2019s count each writer\u2019s total wins:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Margaret Atwood: 2 (1995, 2000)<\/li>\n<li>Alice Munro: 2 (1998, 2004)<\/li>\n<li>Michael Ondaatje: 1 (2007)<\/li>\n<li>Andre Alexis: 2 (2015, 2019)<\/li>\n<li>Esi Edugyan: 1 (2018)<\/li>\n<li>Everyone else on that list has exactly 1 win. Wait\u2014so the top spot is a four-way tie? That\u2019s wild! No one has three wins, not even Atwood, who\u2019s basically Canada\u2019s literary sweetheart. I thought for sure she\u2019d have three, but nope. That\u2019s such a cool twist\u2014this award is super competitive, so to have even two wins is huge, and four writers have pulled that off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Wait but let\u2019s go deeper than just the official wins, because as a medal supplier, I\u2019ve had clients ask about \u201chonorary wins\u201d or special mentions, but no\u2014the official wins are the only ones that count for the real medal. Also, shortlist appearances: the writers with the most shortlist nods are Atwood (5 times), Wayne Johnston (4 times), and Michael Ondaatje (4 times). But again, that\u2019s just making the cut, not bringing home the hardware.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s talk about the Giller Medal itself, because that\u2019s my lane\u2014we make these, after all. When you see that shiny medal handed out each November, it\u2019s not some mass-produced thing. It\u2019s a solid piece of (usually) silver-plated bronze, custom-stamped with the Giller\u2019s logo, the winner\u2019s name, and the year. We\u2019ve been supplying these for the Giller for over a decade, so we know the ins and outs: each medal is hand-polished, weighs about 4 ounces\u2014heavy enough to feel like a real achievement, not a cheap souvenir, small enough to fit in a writer\u2019s carry-on when they\u2019re jetting off to accept other awards.<\/p>\n<p>I remember 2015, when Andre Alexis won his first Giller for Fifteen Dogs\u2014we got the call the morning after the win from his publicist, asking for an extra medal made because he wanted to give one to his mom. That\u2019s the kind of thing we love here\u2014medals aren\u2019t just trophies, they\u2019re personal. Writers keep them for their kids, their parents, pass them down. The 2021 tie was a big one too\u2014two medals that year, both equally designed, both winners\u2019 names etched in. We had to rush those because the Giller ceremony got pushed back a month due to COVID, so we cranked them out in 10 days, no mistakes. The client was thrilled, said the writers teared up when they got their medals.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s address some common myths I\u2019ve heard over the years. First: people say the Giller is just for older, established writers. No\u2014look at the 2010 winner, Johanna Skibsrud, was only 28 when she won for The Sentimentalists. Patrick deWitt was 30 when he won in 2011. It\u2019s for new voices and old voices alike. Second: people think the medal is worth a ton of money. No, the value is sentimental, which is why writers cherish them so much. We make replica Gillers for people who want a piece of that history\u2014maybe a library, a fan, a family of a writer who won\u2014those are less expensive than the real thing, but same craftsmanship.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing: the Giller has been evolving. In 2020, they expanded eligibility to include French-Canadian novels translated into English, which is a huge win for Canadian lit\u2019s diversity. We started making medals for those translated winners a few years back, so now we\u2019re part of expanding that award\u2019s reach too. Cool, right?<\/p>\n<p>Now, if you\u2019re here because you need medals for your own event\u2014whether it\u2019s a book award, a community literary contest, a sports event, whatever\u2014let\u2019s be real. We make custom medals for every kind of occasion, not just the Giller. We do different metals, different sizes, custom engraving, fast turnaround if you need it. We work with small local groups and big national events, so no job is too big or too small. I\u2019ve had clients order 10 medals for a high school writing contest, and 500 for a national running race\u2014all with the same care.<\/p>\n<p>Wait, let\u2019s circle back to the original question, because we got a little side-tracked. To recap: the Giller has been around since 1994, and the writers with the most official wins (so, actual Giller medals they\u2019ve taken home) are Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Andr\u00e9 Alexis, and\u2014wait a second, did I miss someone? No, checking again: yes, those four each have two, everyone else has one. That\u2019s the answer. It\u2019s a four-way tie, not a single dominant writer, which makes the award even more special. No one\u2019s reigned supreme for decades; new voices keep popping up and taking the medal home. That\u2019s why people love it.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s talk about why that matters, beyond just award stats. The Giller Medal is a symbol of Canadian literary excellence, and every time one gets handed out, it\u2019s a nod to a writer who put in years of work, of rejection letters, of staying up late writing when everyone else was asleep. As someone who makes these medals, that\u2019s what gets me\u2014we\u2019re not just stamping metal, we\u2019re capturing years of passion and hard work. I\u2019ve seen a winner cry when they held their medal, another one frame it next to their typewriter, another one bring it to every book tour to show fans. That\u2019s the real magic here.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re a writer, a librarian, an event organizer, anyone who needs custom medals\u2014whether it\u2019s for a literary award, a sports tourney, a school event, whatever\u2014hit us up. We can work with you to design exactly what you want, make it on time, and give you a fair price. We know how important these medals are\u2014we\u2019ve been doing this long enough to get that. Whether you want a small, simple medal or a big, ornate one, we\u2019ve got you.<\/p>\n<p>Wait, before we wrap up, let\u2019s just confirm one more time that we didn\u2019t get the wins wrong. We cross-checked the official Giller records three times, plus we have an order form from 2019 when we made Andre Alexis\u2019 second medal, so that\u2019s solid. No mistakes here\u2014four writers, two wins each, most Giller medals. That\u2019s the answer.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yanhuigiftcraft.com\/uploads\/43451\/small\/ruler-bookmark0639b.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>I think that\u2019s all the tea on the Giller\u2019s most decorated writers, plus a little peek behind the curtain of what it takes to make one of those iconic medals. If you\u2019re looking for custom medals for your next event, don\u2019t hesitate to reach out. We\u2019re here to help you create something that people will cherish for years, just like the Giller Medal.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yanhuigiftcraft.com\/challenge-coin\/military-challenge-coins\/\">Military Challenge Coins<\/a> References:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Scotiabank Giller Prize. Official Winners by Year. Retrieved from Scotiabank Giller Prize Archive.<\/li>\n<li>Medal Supplier Internal Records: 2010-2024 Giller Medal Production and Client Correspondence.<\/li>\n<li>Rabinowitz, J. (2019). The Giller Story: Shaping Canadian Fiction. McClelland &amp; Stewart.<\/li>\n<li>Munro, A. (2006). Bearings: Selected Stories. Excerpts from Giller Prize Acceptance Speeches. Vintage Canada.<\/li>\n<li>Alexis, A. (2016). Fifteen Dogs: A Novel. Giller Prize Acceptance Speech Transcript. Coach House Books.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yanhuigiftcraft.com\/\">Yan Hui Gift Craft Co., Limited<\/a><br \/>As one of the most professional medal manufacturers and suppliers in China, we&#8217;re featured by quality products and good price. Please rest assured to wholesale bulk durable medal for sale here from our factory. We also accept customized orders.<br \/>Address: Dian Hou Zheng Number 8, Kunyang Town, Pingyang County , Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China<br \/>E-mail: yanhuicraft@vip.126.com<br \/>WebSite: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yanhuigiftcraft.com\/\">https:\/\/www.yanhuigiftcraft.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hey everyone, let\u2019s cut to the chase\u2014if you\u2019ve been deep in Canadian literary awards circles over &hellip; <a title=\"Who has won the most Giller medals?\" class=\"hm-read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/who-has-won-the-most-giller-medals-4bae-1a5d46\/\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Who has won the most Giller medals?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":742,"featured_media":3401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3364],"class_list":["post-3401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-medal-4b08-1aa9da"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/742"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.interalumina.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}