BURSTThe internationally recognized Banff Mountain Book Competition celebrates mountain literature in all its forms as part of the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival (Oct. 31–Nov. 8, 2026). Seven awards, selected by an international jury of writers, adventurers, and editors, recognize outstanding work, with $26,000 CAD in total cash prizes awarded annually.
This year’s seven category winners were selected from 27 finalists, drawn from 173 submissions representing 12 countries. Categories include Mountain Literature, Environmental Literature, Adventure Travel, Mountain Image, Guidebook, Mountain Article, and Climbing Literature. The $5,000 CAD Grand Prize, sponsored by the Alpine Club of Canada, will be announced at the live awards presentation in Banff, Alberta, on Nov. 5, 2026. All category winners are eligible.
Guidebook
Cabin Wild: Alpine Bivouac Huts by Ben Tibbetts, Alpenglow Editions (France, 2025): “A captivating volume that invites us to see the Alps in a new light, through an intimate journey around a selection of bivouac huts across Italy, Switzerland and France. Cabin Wild expertly weaves together practical information, inspiring routes, deeply researched cultural history and vividly told personal stories, celebrating a unique alpine resource and encouraging a respectful approach to these remote mountain refuges. Illustrated throughout with stunning photography, it coaxes out the dreamer in us—transporting us to the high mountains for a pre-dawn start, the warm glow of evening or the crisp silence of a winter’s night.” — Rob Lovell, 2026 Book Jury
Climbing Literature
The Great Mixed Climbs of Scotland by Guy Robertson and Hamish Frost, Scottish Mountaineering Press (UK, 2025): “The Great Mixed Climbs of Scotland combines stunning photography and evocative essays in a truly spectacular ode to Scottish winter climbing. By profiling important routes through the eyes of the climbers who created them, Guy Robertson and Hamish Frost have created an exceptional book that is beautiful in every way. This is a book for the climber’s climber.” — Lauren DeLaunay Miller, 2026 Book Jury
Mountain Article
The Misfits by Chad Heddleston, Summit Journal (USA, 2025): “The history of rock climbing is certainly not without its grey areas and forgotten figures, and what remarkable characters were Jan and Herb Conn. These two exist in the spirit and austerity of the pioneering European climbers of the early 20th century. The writing highlights their uniqueness and the integrity of their life choices. More than a dirtbag way of life within a capitalist, consumerist society, it shows how far ahead of their time they were and the legacy they’ve left behind in the Needles but also in our contemporary collective imagination.” — David Chambre, 2026 Book Jury
Mountain Image
Fjell: A Faithful Witness by Orsolya Haarberg, Tinde Publishing (Norway, 2026): “Soberly subtitled ‘a faithful witness,’ this highly original book takes us on a journey through the Norwegian highlands. It stands out thanks to its minimalist layout on matte paper, verging on austerity, which suits the subject matter so well. Eye-catching, the stunning photography, especially in black and white, stands perfectly well on its own. The highly poetic comments, almost like Zen koans, offer us a meditation set down on paper. It is as much an art book as a book about mountains.” — David Chambre, 2026 Book Jury
Mountain Literature
Lone Wolf: Walking the Line Between Civilization and Wildness by Adam Weymouth, Knopf Canada (Canada, 2025): “Brilliant and profound, this book highlights the increasingly controversial place of wild animals within a Europe undergoing profound climatic, environmental and political changes. It is not so much a matter of following the trail of a wolf as that of humans and their ways of life. More than the wolf’s journey, it captures the difficult coexistence of modernity and tradition without any romanticism. It is also the portrait of a world coming to an end where the wolf and other wild animals all too easily serve as scapegoats for human contradictions. A disconcerting yet clear-eyed assessment.” — David Chambre, 2026 Book Jury
Environmental Literature
Black Bear: A Story of Siblinghood and Survival by Trina Moyles, Knopf Canada (Canada, 2026): “As we reach further into the places once considered wild, Trina Moyles shows us how we can live alongside one another and with the more-than-human world. Told with precision, elegance and humility, Black Bear seamlessly weaves together two complex storylines, laying bare Moyles’ relationships with her brother and with the wildlife she meets while working in a fire watch tower in Alberta. Her innovative and compelling writing presents an honest and relatable account of the human experience alongside much wider environmental and social themes. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking and powerful book.” — Rob Lovell, 2026 Book Jury
Adventure Travel
North to the Future: An Offline Adventure through the Changing Wilds of Alaska by Ben Weissenbach, Grand Central Publishing (USA, 2025): “Striking out into the wilds of Alaska to discover something about oneself isn’t new, but the way that Ben Weissenbach writes about it is. In North to the Future, Weissenbach brings an earnestness to his travels with the legendary explorer Roman Dial and writes a stunning exploration of youth, our changing climate, and the impact the digital world has on us all. Beautifully written and impressively researched, Weissenbach weaves science with memoir in what will surely become a classic in the genre.” — Lauren DeLaunay Miller, 2026 Book Jury
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