| Year | Winner | Book | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Joseph Kertes | Winter Tulips | Doubleday |
| 1988 | Paul Quarrington | King Leary | Doubleday |
| 1987 | W. P. Kinsella | The Fencepost Chronicles | Totem Press/Collins |
| 1986 | Joey Slinger | No Axe Too Small to Grind | McClelland & Stewart |
| 1985 | Ted Allen | Love is a Longshot | McClelland & Stewart |
| 1984 | Gary Lautens | No Sex Please... We're Married | McClelland & Stewart |
| 1983 | Morley Torgov | The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick | Lester & Orpen Dennys |
| 1982 | Mervyn J. Huston | Gophers Don't Pay Taxes | Tree Frog Press |
| 1981 | Gary Lautens | Take My Family... Please! | John Wiley & Sons |
| 1980 | Donald Jack | Me Bandy, You Cissie | Doubleday |