This year’s Alberta Book Awards Gala was a wonderful event, with over 250 people attending. The banquet room at the Delta Edmonton Centre Suite Hotel was festive and welcoming. Mayor Stephen Mandel’s opening remarks were followed by the engaging keynote address of Shelagh Rogers, CBC host of “The Next Chapter.” The event’s emcee, Todd Babiak, kept us all entertained after we enjoyed a scrumptious meal.
The appreciation for books, writers, publishers, designers, readers, funders — indeed, all those involved in the process of words materializing into books — was tremendous. With strong candidates in each category, the juries must have had a hard time selecting the winners! Our congratulations to all who made the shortlist and to the winners. It was a particular pleasure to see George Melnyk receive a lifetime achievement award.
After the ceremonies, Colleen Brown, Jerome Martin, and Art Fadum provided the closing part of the event: attendees danced the night away to their much-enjoyed musical performance.