1940s
- 1940: E. J. Pratt, Brébeuf and His Brethren
- 1941: Anne Marriott, Calling Adventurers!
- 1942: Earle Birney, David and Other Poems
- 1943: A.J.M. Smith, News of the Phoenix
- 1944: Dorothy Livesay, Day and Night
- 1945: Earle Birney, Now is Time
- 1946: Robert Finch, Poems
- 1947: Dorothy Livesay, Poems for People
- 1948: A.M. Klein, The Rocking Chair and Other Poems
- 1949: James Reaney, The Red Heart
Read more about this topic: Governor General's Award For English-language Poetry Or Drama