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Freedom to Read Week

Freedom to Read Week graphic. Girl in yellow coat and glasses lit up by spotlight reading. She is standing in the dark between giant books.

Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom. As of 2024, Freedom to Read Week entered a new phase led by Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, and the Ontario Library Association in partnership with the Book and Periodical Council. This year, Freedom to Read Week runs from February 22-28, 2026.

Freedom to Read Week has become a nationwide campaign uniting readers, writers, publishers, schools, libraries, bookstores, universities, colleges, and other organizations across Canada. Learn more about Freedom to Read Week here!

Are you or your library organizing a Freedom to Read Week event? We encourage you to register your event with Freedom to Read to join communities across Canada celebrating the week!

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Bail Out the Banned Book Contest on Social Media

Join us on social media during Freedom to Read Week to learn about some Canadian books that have been banned or challenged in libraries across North America. Like and share our book posts for a chance to win your own copy of a challenged book!

There are a total of seven books available to be won – a different book for each day of the Bail Out the Banned Book Contest running from February 22-28, 2026. The contest is running on all of SLA’s social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.

contest rules

Entry into the Bail Out the Banned Book Contest is made by liking and sharing any of the contest posts before 9:00am CST on Sunday, March 1, 2026. An individual can enter each day’s book contest up to three times by liking and sharing the contest post on each social media platform (Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky), with one entry coming from each platform.

A winner for each book will be selected at random from everyone who liked and shared the contest post for that book from across all social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky). An individual can only win one book. If an individual who has already won a book is randomly selected as a winner a second time, a new winner will be drawn.

Winners must be residents of Saskatchewan. Once a winner has been selected, the Saskatchewan Library Association will message that person through social media to gather their mailing address in order to send them their book prize. If we are unable to contact the randomly selected winner through their social media mailbox, a new winner will be drawn.

2026 FTRW Promotional Materials

The national organization, Freedom to Read, has created free promotional resources for Freedom to Read Week. These digital resources are free and can be downloaded and used by anyone to promote the event.