Perhaps you weren’t aware there is an award for a book that best recognizes “the outstanding contributions to the presentation and public awareness of the marine heritage of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Well, there is, it’s presented by the Canadian Coast Guard Newfoundland Region Alumni Association. It’s presented once every 2-3 years, to allow ample eligible names to be considered. Maura Hanrahan is the latest winner of the Polaris Award (not to be confused with the Polaris Music Prize).

It appears to be for a body of work, not a single title, and it’s unclear if this is a literary award or an award that can be given to a book that fulfills the award’s mandate. But Flanker Press sure has a good track record with their titles winning this award.

In addition to a framed scroll, its winners get a brass porthole in their honour at the Canadian Coast Guard’s Southside Base in St. John’s. These portholes will eventually be displayed at Cape Spear.

Dr. Hanrahan is the author of nine books, including The Alphabet Fleet: The Pride of the Newfoundland Coastal Service, Domino: The Eskimo Coast Disaster, The Doryman, and Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster.  She lives in Corner Brook, where she is an assistant professor and chair of the Humanities program at the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University.