The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are no longer just the reigning Grey Cup Champions. They are also purveyors of some of the finest literature the province of Manitoba has to offer.
The finalists for the Manitoba Book Awards were announced on Friday and the Bombers’ commemorative Grey Cup coffee table book ‘For The W: A look inside the 2019 Grey Cup Championship season‘ is among the contenders for two separate distinctions.
Written by Ed Tait and edited by Rhéanne Marcoux, the book tells the story of the 2019 season both in text and visually. A forward by legendary broadcaster Bob Irving and essay from receiver Drew Wolitarsky are just some of the highlights. Carrie Berndsen was integral to cover and interior design.
The book is shortlisted for both the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction and Manuela Dias Book Design and Illustration Award in the illustration category. Winners will be announced May 20.
The Blue Bombers ended a 29-year Grey Cup drought in November 2019 when they defeated the heavily-favoured Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a score of 33-12. Andrew Harris was named the game’s Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Canadian, becoming the first person to ever capture both awards.
Winnipeg hosted a parade for the team that saw over 10,000 fans brave the elements to share in the victory. Chris Streveler wore a fur coat and cowboy hat over his bare chest, which later became an Internet meme.
The club has stated that they will not raise their championship banner from the 2019 Grey Cup until they can hold a capacity crowd of 33,000-plus at IG Field. Until the team takes the field, the city of Winnipeg is unlikely to stop celebrating and they’ll take any opportunity to revel they can get.
The real question is: what is the longest beer snake in Manitoba Book Awards’ history?
