Toronto (September 26, 2006): The Sunburst Award Committee is pleased to announce that the winner of its 2006 award is In the Palace of Repose (Prime Books, ISBN 1894815580) by Holly Phillips. (Shown at right: Writer/editor Jana Paniccia presents the award to a beaming Holly in early November 2006. Photo by Peter Halasz.) The Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic is a prized and juried award that is presented annually. It is based on excellence of writing and awarded to a Canadian writer who has published a speculative fiction novel or book-length collection any time during the previous calendar year. Named after the novel by Phyllis Gotlieb, one of the first published authors of contemporary Canadian speculative fiction, the award consists of a cash award of $1,000 and a hand-crafted medallion which incorporates a "Sunburst" logo, designed by Marcel Gagné. 
The Sunburst jury said, "The stories of In the Palace of Repose spring to life from the page. As the characters uncover artefacts of an unimagined past, relive a long-forgotten murder, cope with a memory that suddenly wipes itself clean or struggle to adapt to startling new worlds, Holly Phillips's masterful writing, depth of characterization and complete control of her craft make this book a joy to read." Publishers Weekly says, "This collection of nine fantasy and slipstream short stories ... offers a neat package of quietly thoughtful, composed writing ... readers will find themselves drawn in by elegant imagery and evocative settings, making this one stand out from the pack." Holly Phillips lives near Trail, BC. Her other works include the novel The Burning Girl and numerous short stories. The other shortlisted works for the 2006 award were:
Jurors for the 2006 Sunburst Award were Larissa Lai, Janet McNaughton, Uppinder Mehan, Derryl Murphy and Élisabeth Vonarburg. They selected five shortlisted works as representing the finest of Canadian fantastic literature published during the 2005 calendar year. The 2007 Award jurors will be Steven Erikson, James Alan Gardner, Tom Henighan, Emily Pohl-Weary and Caitlin Sweet.
