Bouchercon 2026 Update: April 2026

In This Issue

• Welcome
• Introducing the Bouchercon 2026 Charity – FESA
• Meet the Guests of Honour – Vicki Delany
• Crime Writers of Canada Podcast
• Panels
• Author Events
• Anthony Awards Updates
• Fun Facts
• Unique Canadian Treats
• Registration and Passport Reminders
• Hotels
• Sponsorship/Advertising
• Stay Connected

Welcome

Bouchercon is six short months away, and we want to make sure you have a great visit to Calgary and an excellent experience at the convention. 

We have attendees coming from all over the world, which means you have access to a fresh list of authors to follow. Registered authors can have their website linked to their name as part of the registration package. Do some pre-convention investigating, check out attending authors' websites, and you might find your next favourite, just in time to meet them in person this October. 

Introducing the Bouchercon 2026 Charity – The Further Education Society of Alberta

We are excited to announce the Bouchercon 2026 Charity - the Further Education Society of Alberta (FESA). 

FESA is dedicated to strengthening communities, families, and individuals through literacy and learning by advocating, collaborating, and removing barriers.



Watch for members of FESA volunteering throughout the convention and ask them about their programs. You can help support FESA by purchasing an Anthology, participating in our live and silent auctions, or donating directly to the organization.



Meet the Guests of Honour: Vicki Delany

Vicki Delany is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. 

Vicki is a past chair of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the CWC Awards of Excellence. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

We are thrilled to have her join us at Bouchercon 2026.

For more information, visit her website here.

Crime Writers of Canada Podcast

Tune in to the Crime Writers of Canada Podcast to hear interviews with our Guests of Honour, as well as our Local Organizing Committee Chair, Pam McDowell. 

If you like what you hear, scroll back in the archives and check out the backlist of Canadian crime writers featured to find your next binge read.

Panels



If you indicated on your registration that you would like to be on a panel, be a moderator, or both, you should have recently received an e-mail with a very short follow-up questionnaire. If you believe you should have received this e-mail and have not, or you've changed your mind, one way or the other, please send an e-mail to Panels2026@bouchercon.com.

Deadline to express interest is June 1^st.

Author Events

Planning is underway for our three main author promotion events: Author Speed Dating, the Author Fair, and the Debut Authors Breakfast.

Author Speed Dating has authors playing musical chairs among tables of readers, giving a one-minute pitch and moving on. It’s fast and fun!

The Author Fair is our market for writers to sell their books directly to Bouchercon attendees. Spending an hour and a half at a table full of your books is a great way to meet new readers, talk about your stories, and make sales.

The Debut Authors Breakfast is for authors who published their first novel after the 2025 Bouchercon. They’ll get to introduce their story to a hall full of readers and meet other authors in their genre. Note: authors cannot attend both Speed Dating and the Debut Breakfast.

More information—and application forms—coming soon! Stay tuned.

Anthony Awards Updates

If you haven’t already submitted your nomination for the 2026 Anthony Awards, you have until Thursday, April 30, 2026, at midnight EDT/9 pm PDT to do so. All members who are registered for Bouchercon 2026 in Calgary, or who were registered for Bouchercon 2025 in New Orleans, should have received an e-mail with a link to submit their nominations.

Nominations have been sent out using SurveyMonkey. If you opted out of SurveyMonkey, you will need to opt back in to receive your nomination form.

Unless you were registered for the 2025 Bouchercon, you have until 6 pm EDT/ 3 pm PDT on Monday, April 27 2026, to register for Bouchercon 2026 to receive a nomination form.

The five works in each category with the most nominations will make up the final ballot. That ballot will be announced in May. Voting for the awards will happen at Bouchercon 2026 in October. You must be in attendance to be eligible to vote on the final ballot. The awards will be presented at a live ceremony on Saturday, October 24, 2026.



The deadline to nominate is Thursday, April 30, 2026, at midnight EDT/9 pm PDT.

PLEASE NOTE that there is no official list of eligible titles. The eligibility criteria for each category are on the nomination form or can be found here or here.

Fun Facts

Calgary's altitude is 1,045 m (3,428 ft) above sea level, making it Canada's "highest" major city.

Climb to the top of the Calgary Tower (or take the elevator) to add an extra 191 m (627 ft). 

Unique Canadian Treats

A visit to Calgary isn’t complete without sampling some of our specialties and we’re here to help start your checklist:

• Nanaimo bars are a square that consist of a base made of crushed graham wafer, almond, and coconut, topped with a custard icing filling, and topped with chocolate ganache.
• Butter tarts are pastry shells filled with a caramelized mix of eggs, raisins, butter, syrup, and sugar.
• Try our unique flavours of potato chips like Ketchup, All Dressed, and Dill Pickle.
• Cheezies are different here. Less puff and more crunch. Try a bag of Hawkins Cheezies to experience the Canadian version.



• Smarties here are a candy-coated chocolate. 
• Beaver Tails are a deep-fried dough-y delicacy. 
• Poutine is fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. 
• Bannock is a dense biscuit-like bread, and an Indigenous specialty.
• Saskatoons are a berry grown locally in the area and are best sampled in a pie.

• The Caesar is a cocktail made with clamato juice and vodka, a squeeze of lime, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce usually topped with a celery stick, a pickle spear, or some extravagant kabob-style toppings.



• Ginger Beef originated in Calgary. 
• And on that note, you must try some Alberta Beef while you’re here or a juicy Bison burger. 

There are lots of amazing restaurants that serve up these specialties and many more. If you’re a foodie, add these to your bucket list experiences while you’re here!

Registration and Passport Reminders

Bouchercon 2026 registration is available here. Remember to check your passports now, so you have time to renew or apply if you need to. 

For more information specific to Canada, please note the information in the Visiting Calgary portion of our website, with emphasis on sections concerning passports, Canadian currency, and using your cell phone. 

Please Note: Convention registration and payment can only be completed through the Bouchercon 2026 website. We will never send a link for registration payment via email, PayPal, Zelle, etc. Payments are to Bouchercon Inc., in U.S. dollars.

Hotels

The room blocks in all three of our Bouchercon 2026 hotels are filling fast, so please book soon to avoid disappointment. 



Each hotel is connected to the Telus Convention Centre so guests won’t have to venture outside.

Sponsorship/Advertising

Our team is ready to welcome Bouchercon to Calgary, Alberta, for the first time EVER, and we are looking for corporate and community support to help us welcome mystery and crime-writing fans and professionals from around the world. Check out our sponsorship page here or contact us at Sponsorship2026@bouchercon.com for more details. 

Sponsor the thrill, sponsor the mystery, sponsor the connection!

Stay Connected

For more updates, follow us on social media or check out our website. Keep checking for updates as more information will be forthcoming on a regular basis and increase as the convention draws closer. 

To see our past newsletters for Bouchercon 2026, click here.

We look forward to seeing you in Calgary!