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Winners announced in Greater Victoria’s first ever Little Free Library Awards (PHOTOS)

By Curtis Blandy
Little Free Library Boats
(Courtesy of Greater Victoria Placemaking Network)

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This week, the winners of Greater Victoria’s first ever Little Free Library Awards were announced. 

The winners were revealed at the annual general meeting of the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network (GVPN), who manage, maintain and map out all little free libraries (LFLs) in the region. 

LFLs are little book boxes that are built by residents of the Greater Victoria region that operate on the principle of “leave a book—take a book.” 

These treasure troves of giving come in all shapes and sizes, with most containing books; however, there are many that share plants, seeds, toys, yarn, household items, board games, puzzles, art supplies, art, food and more.

GVPN has been working to promote and map out LFLs since 2017.

To date, over 131,000 books have been delivered to LFLs across the region by GVPN volunteers, they have mapped out over 1,000 LFLs and helped residents build over 142. 

GVPN launched the awards in September as they celebrated the 1,000th LFL opening, and invited members of the community to nominate and vote for their favourite little library.  

After nominations opened, 59 LFLs were nominated across ten categories, with around 200 people casting votes for their favourite in each category. 

“The LFLs that were nominated showcased the diversity of little free libraries in our community. Take the ‘Best Upcycled/Reused LFL category, for example. In this category we had LFLs made from china hutches, cupboards, a steamer trunk, a barracks box, and a kayak!” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Pocket Places Project Lead, GVPN. 

“There was lots of competition in the ‘Most Creative LFL’ category, where nominated LFLs were shaped like pirate ships, balanced on spindly bird legs, wildly shaped like something from a Dr. Seuss book, covered in colourful modern art, and decorated with delicately painted stained glass. The creativity of our community is inspiring!”

See the winning LFLs below:

Best Plant/Seed LFL: The Yates Street Community Garden LFL – found at Yates Street and Vancouver Street in Victoria, and sharing books and seeds with the community.
Best Boardgame/Puzzle LFL: Esquimalt Puzzle and Game LFL – found at Bewdley Avenue near Kinver Street in Esquimalt, and just next to a LFL dedicated to sharing children’s books, it is always well-stocked with puzzles and board games.
Most Verdant Greenroof: Eagle View LFL – found at Eagle View Elementary School, in View Royal, and hosting a spectacular succulent garden on its roof.
Best Literary Themed LFL: Wonderland LFL – found at Pembroke Street and Oregon Avenue in Fernwood, Victoria, and festooned with Alice and Wonderland decorations, including mushrooms, caterpillar, playing cards, and of course, the Cheshire Cat.
Cutest LFL: Snoopy LFL – found on the 1200-block of Richardson Street in Victoria. One of at least four Peanuts-themed LFLs in the region, with day dreaming Snoopy on its roof.
Most Creative LFL: The Art of Reading LFL – found at the 3300-block of Wordsworth Street in Saanich, and featuring 96 meticulously hand-painted stained glass book spines, full stained glass walls, a rotating book shelf, and brass fixtures.
Best LFL with a Bird On It: Baba Yaga Books – found at Llewelyn Place, in North Saanich, this LFL stands on two spindly bird legs, and is an ornithological delight.
Best Organized LFL: That Little Blue Library – found at the 4500-block of West Saanich Road in Saanich. It has well-organized shelves and a well-organized social media presence on Instagram.
Best LFL That Looks Like Another Thing: Beckley Cottage Book Box – found on the 400-block of Parry Street in Victoria. This LFL is an identical miniature version of the historic Beckley Cottage, built in 1901 and moved to its current location in 1980.
Best Upcycled/Reused LFL: BlueKayak Books – found in front of BestCoast Outfitters on the 800-block of Yates Street Victoria. As the name suggests, this LFL was built from an upcycled kayak.

This year marked the inaugural Little Free Library Awards in the region, and GVPN say they want to make this an annual tradition.

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Curtis Blandy
Curtis Blandy has worked with Victoria Buzz since September 2022. Previously, he was an on air host at The Zone @ 91-3 as well as 100.3 The Q in Victoria, BC. Curtis is a graduate from NAIT’s radio and television broadcasting program in Edmonton, Alta. He thrives in covering stories on local and provincial politics as well as the Victoria music scene. Reach out to him at curtis@victoriabuzz.com.
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