Souvankham Thammavongsa wins Giller Prize for second time for ‘Pick A Colour’

Souvankham Thammavongsa wins the Giller Prize for her novel 'Pick a Colour,' in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO -- Souvankham Thammavongsa’s two experiences winning the Giller Prize couldn’t have been more different.

The first time, in 2020, she was at home on her couch with a camera crew waiting outside her door.

Five years later, on Monday night, she got the full experience -- including rapturous applause.

“Tonight it was just how loud the room was,” Thammavongsa said in an interview after the ceremony, where she took home the $100,000 award for her novel “Pick a Colour.”

“I could hear the applause, not just my own joy, but the joy of the room come to life.”

Rick Mercer hosted Monday night’s gala dinner at a ritzy hotel in downtown Toronto. The audience included some of Canada’s literary elite, including past Giller winner Ian Williams and American Canadian author John Irving.

Thammavongsa is only the fourth author to win the literary award twice, joining the ranks of Esi Edugyan, M.G. Vassanji and Alice Munro.

“Pick a Colour” is a character study that takes place over a single day in the life of Ning, a nail technician and former boxer. The novel shines a spotlight on the rich inner life of a character who is often ignored -- both in literature and in life.

In it, Thammavongsa challenges stereotypes about such characters.

“Such a voice is at the centre of my life, and I’m just bringing readers to see it the way that I see it,” she said after the ceremony. “This woman does not hate her job. She loves it. She’s great at her work. She’s a woman who doesn’t have a family or a partner, but she has her job.”

Born in the Lao refugee camp in Nong Khai, Thailand, and raised in Toronto, Thammavongsa started out as a poet. Her debut work of fiction, the short story collection “How to Pronounce Knife,” won the Giller in 2020.

“Pick a Colour” is her first novel.

In her acceptance speech, Thammavongsa said being a writer was a lifelong dream, though not one she knew how to accomplish.

“When I was a kid I didn’t know how to become a writer. My mom and dad are not writers. I printed and bound my own books, sold them out of my school knapsack, on front lawns, at farmers markets and at small press fairs,” she said. “Thank you to anyone who has ever bought a book that I made.”

She also thanked her parents -- and apologized to them.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this and that you’re finding out about it on the 6 o’clock news,” she said.

The Giller awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English.

This year’s jury was composed of authors Dionne Irving, Loghan Paylor and Deepa Rajagopalan, who culled more than 100 submissions down to a short list of five books.

In their citation, the jurors praised Thammavongsa’s “inimitable style” and “crackling wit.”

“A master of form and restraint, Thammavongsa once again affirms her place as one of the most vital literary voices of our time,” they wrote.

The runners-up for the prize, who receive $10,000 apiece, were Mona Awad for “We Love You, Bunny,” Eddy Boudel Tan for “The Tiger and the Cosmonaut,” Emma Donoghue for “The Paris Express” and Emma Knight for “The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus.”

Monday night’s ceremony went uninterrupted, but a handful of protesters held signs outside the venue and there’s an ongoing author boycott related to some of the Giller’s current partners.

The 2023 ceremony was interrupted by demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza and, in part, the then-title sponsor Scotiabank. A large crowd of protesters congregated outside the venue last year.

The Giller was established by Jack Rabinovitch in 1994 in memory of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller.

Last year’s winner was Anne Michaels for her novel “Held.”

By Nicole Thompson

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2025.