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The Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries. The prize was established as the Giller Prize in 1994 by Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife Doris Giller, a former literary editor at the Toronto Star, and is awarded in November of each year along with a cash reward (then CAN$25,000).
On September 22, 2005, the Giller Prize established an endorsement deal with Scotiabank, a major Canadian bank. The total prize package for the award was increased to $50,000, with $40,000 presented to the winning author and $2,500 each for the other four shortlisted nominees. The award's official name was also changed at that time to the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
In 2006, the prize instituted a longlist for the first time, comprising no fewer than 10 and no more than 15 titles. In 2008, the prize fund was increased to $50,000 for the winning author and $5,000 for each of the authors on the shortlist. In 2014, the prize package was expanded further, to $100,000 for the winning author and $10,000 for each of the shortlisted authors.
In 2011, the Giller Prize extended its recognition and support of Canadian literary talent to highlight all Canadian fiction eligible for the prize in a given publishing year. The Crazy for CanLit feature showcases and encourages readers to celebrate all of the published books in different ways (in 2014 and 2015, with themed reading lists), often in conjunction with prizes and incentives.
Over the years, the Scotiabank Giller Prize has been awarded to emerging and established authors from both small independent and large publishing houses in Canada.