Each winner of the 1981 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Table of contents
1 English Language
2 French Language
3 Other Governor General's Awards:

English Language

Fiction

Winner:

Poetry

Winner:

  • F.R. Scott, The Collected Poems of F.R. Scott

Other Finalists:
  • Alfred Bailey, Miramichi Lightning: Collected Poems
  • Barry McKinnon, The The

Drama

Winner:

Other Finalists:
  • Charles Tidler, Straight Ahead and Blind Dancers
  • George F. Walker, Theatre of the Film Noir

Nonfiction

Winner:

  • George Calef, Caribou and the barren-lands

Other Finalists:

French Language

Fiction

Winner:

  • Denys Chabot, La province lunaire

Other Finalists:
  • Noël Audet, Ah, l'amour l'amour
  • Aline Beaudin Beaupré, L'aventure de Blanche Morti
  • Louis Caron, Le canard de bois

Poetry

Winner:

  • Michel Beaulieu, Visages

Drama

Winner:

  • Marie Laberge, C'était avant la guerre à l'anse à Gilles

Other Finalist:
  • Jean-Pierre Ronfard, Vie et mort du Roi Boiteux

Nonfiction

Winner:

  • Madeleine Ouellette-Michalska, L'échappée des discours de l'oeil

Other Finalists:
  • Maurice Cusson, Délinquants pourquoi?
  • Andrée Pilon-Quiviger, L'éden éclaté

Other Governor General's Awards:

2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998 - 1997 - 1996 - 1995 - 1994 - 1993 - 1992 - 1991 - 1990 - 1989 - 1988 - 1987 - 1986 - 1985 - 1984 - 1983 - 1982 - 1981 - 1980 - 1979 - 1978 - 1977 - 1976 - 1975 - 1974 - 1973 - 1972 - 1971 - 1970 - 1969 - 1968 - 1967 - 1966 - 1965 - 1964 - 1963 - 1962 - 1961 - 1960 - 1959 - 1958 - 1957 - 1956 - 1955 - 1954 - 1953 - 1952 - 1951 - 1950 - 1949 - 1948 - 1947 - 1946 - 1945 - 1944 - 1943 - 1942 - 1941 - 1940 - 1939 - 1938 - 1937 - 1936