The Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian illustrator for a children's book written in French. It is one of four children's book awards among the Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, one each for writers and illustrators of English- and French-language books. The Governor General's Awards program is administered by the Canada Council.
In name, this award is part of the Governor General's Award program only from 1987 but the four children's literature awards were established in 1975 under a Canada Council name. In the event, the "Canada Council" and "Governor General's" awards have recognized illustration in a French-language children's book every year from 1977.
In 1975 the Canada Council established four annual prizes of $5000 for the year's best English- and French-language children's books by Canadian writers and illustrators. Those "Canada Council Children's Literature Prizes" were continued under the "Governor General's Awards" rubric from 1987, and continue today. Among them the French-language illustration prize was awarded every year from 1977.
1977: Claude Lafortune, L'évangile en papier, written by Henriette Major
1978: Ginette Anfousse, La varicelle
1979: Roger Paré, Une fenêtre dans ma tête, by Raymond Plante
1980: Miyuki Tanobi, Les gens de mon pays, by Gilles Vigneault
1981: Joanne Ouellet, Les Papinacois, by Michel Noël
1982: Darcia Labrosse, Agnès et le singulier bestiare, by Marie José Thériault
1983: Philippe Béha, Petit ours (Grand-maman, Où est ma tétine?, Mon bébé-soeur, Quand ça va mal), by Sylvie Assathiany and Louise Pelletier
1984: Marie-Louise Gay, Drôle d'école (Rond comme ton visage, Blanc comme neige, Petit et grand, Un Léopard dans mon placard)
1985: Roger Paré, L'alphabet
1986: Stéphane Poulin, Album de famille and As-tu vu Joséphine?
1987: Darcia Labrosse, Venir au monde
1988: Philippe Béha, Les Jeux de Pic-Mots
1989: Stéphane Poulin, Benjamin et la saga des oreillers
1990: Pierre Pratt, Les Fantaisies de l'oncle Henri
1991: Sheldon Cohen, Un champion
1992: Gilles Tibo, Simon et la ville de carton
1993: Stéphane Jorisch, Le Monde selon Jean de ...
1994: Pierre Pratt, Mon chien est un éléphant
1995: Annouchka Gravel Galouchko, Sho et les dragons d'eau
1996: (none)
1997: Stéphane Poulin, Poil de serpent, dent d'araignée
1998: Pierre Pratt, Monsieur Ilétaitunefois
1999: Stéphane Jorish, Charlotte et l'île du destin
2000: Anne Villeneuve, L'Écharpe rouge
2001: Bruce Roberts, Fidèles éléphants
2002: Luc Melanson, Le grand voyage de Monsieur
2003: Virginie Egger, Recette d’éléphant à la sauce vieux pneu
2004: Janice Nadeau, Nul poisson où aller
2005: Isabelle Arsenault, Le cœur de monsieur Gauguin
2006: Rogé, Le gros monstre qui aimait trop lire
2007: Geneviève Côté, La petite rapporteuse de mots
2008: Janice Nadeau, Ma meilleure amie
2009: Hervé Bouchard, Harvey
2010: Daniel Sylvestre, Rose : derrière le rideau de la folie
2011: Caroline Merola, Lili et les poilus
2012: Élise Gravel, La clé à molette
2013: Isabelle Arsenault, Jane, le renard et moi
2014: Marianne Dubuc, Le lion et l’oiseau
2015: André Marois and Patrick Doyon, Le voleur de sandwichs
2016: Stéphanie Lapointe and Rogé, Grand-père et la lune
