The shortlisted nominees for the 2012 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 11, and the winners were announced on November 13.
Michael Gilson, Mafia Inc.: The Long, Bloody Reign of Canada's Sicilian Clan (André Cédilot and André Noël, Mafia Inc. : Grandeur et misère du clan sicilien au Québec)
John Murrell, The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs and Thinking of Yu (Carole Fréchette, La Petite pièce en haut de l'escalier and Je pense à Yu)