Each winner of the 1985 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Table of contents
1 English Language
2 French Language
3 Other Governor General's Awards:

English Language

Fiction

Winner:

Other Finalists:

Poetry

Winner:

  • Fred Wah, Waiting for Saskatchewan

Other Finalists:
  • Lorna Crozier, The Garden Going on Without Us
  • Richard Lush, A Manual for Lying Down
  • Anne Szumigalski, Instar

Drama

Winner:

  • George F. Walker, Criminals in Love

Other Finalists:
  • David French, Salt-water Moon
  • Margaret Hollingsworth, War Babies (in Willful Acts: Five Plays)
  • Ken Mitchell, Gone the Burning Sun

Nonfiction

Winner:

  • Ramsay Cook, The Regenerators: Social Criticism in Late Victorian English Canada

Other Finalists:
  • Michael D. Behiels, Prelude to Quebec's Quiet Revolution: Liberalism versus Neo-nationalism
  • John Herd Thompson, Canada 1922-1939: Decades of Discord
  • P.B. Waite, The Man from Halifax: Sir John Thompson, Prime Minister

French Language

Fiction

Winner:

Other Finalists:
  • Louise Bouchard, Les Images
  • Jean-Paul Fugère, Popa moman et le saint homme
  • Suzanne Paradis, La Ligne bleue

Poetry

Winner:

  • André Roy, Action writing

Other Finalists:
  • Anne-Marie Alonzo, Bleus de mine
  • François Charron, La vie n'a pas de sens
  • Patrice Desbiens, Dans l'après-midi cardiaque
  • Paul Chanel Malenfant , Les noms du père, suivi de Lieux dits: Italique

Drama

Winner:

  • Maryse Pelletier, Duo pour voix obstinées

Other Finalists:

Nonfiction

Winner:

  • François Ricard, La littérature contre elle-même

Other Finalists:
  • Lysiane Gagnon, Chroniques politiques
  • Hélène Pelletier-Baillargeon, Marie Gérin-Lajoie

Other Governor General's Awards:

2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998 - 1997 - 1996 - 1995 - 1994 - 1993 - 1992 - 1991 - 1990 - 1989 - 1988 - 1987 - 1986 - 1985 - 1984 - 1983 - 1982 - 1981 - 1980 - 1979 - 1978 - 1977 - 1976 - 1975 - 1974 - 1973 - 1972 - 1971 - 1970 - 1969 - 1968 - 1967 - 1966 - 1965 - 1964 - 1963 - 1962 - 1961 - 1960 - 1959 - 1958 - 1957 - 1956 - 1955 - 1954 - 1953 - 1952 - 1951 - 1950 - 1949 - 1948 - 1947 - 1946 - 1945 - 1944 - 1943 - 1942 - 1941 - 1940 - 1939 - 1938 - 1937 - 1936