E.J. Pratt Medal, 1961
	President's Medal, University of Western Ontario, 1965
	Governor General's Award: Circle Game, 1966
	Centennial Commission Poetry Competition, First, 1967
	Union Poetry Prize, Poetry (Chicago), 1969

	Officer, Order of Canada, 1973
	The Bess Hoskins Prize, Poetry (Chicago), 1974
	The City of Toronto Book Award, 1977
	The Canadian Bookseller's Association Award, 1977
	Periodical Distributors of Canada Short Fiction, 1977
	St. Lawrence Award for Fiction, 1978

	Radcliffe Graduate medal, 1980
	Molson Award, 1981
	Guggenheim Fellowship, 1981
	Companion of the Order of Canada, 1981
	Welsh Arts Council International Writer's Prize, 1982
	Periodical Distributors of Canada and the Foundation for The Advancement of Canadian Letters Book of the Year Award, 1983
	Ida Nudel Humanitarian Award, 1986
	Toronto Arts Award, 1986
	Governor General's Award, The Handmaid's Tale, 1986
	Los Angeles Times Fiction Award, 1986
	Ms. Magazine, Woman of the Year, 1986
	Short-listed for the Booker Prize (England), 1987
	Short-listed for the Ritz Hemingway Prize (Paris), 1987
	Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction, 1987
	Commonwealth Literary Prize, Regional winner, 1987
	Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Silver Medal, Best Article of the Year, 1987
	Humanist of the Year Award, 1987
	Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, 1987
	YWCA Women of Distinction Award, 1988
	National Magazine Award for Environmental Journalism, First Prize, 1988
	American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Foreign Honourary Member, Literature, 1988
	Cat's Eye, Torgi Talking Book (CNIB), 1989
	Cat's Eye, City of Toronto Book Award, 1989
	Cat's Eye, Coles Book of the Year, 1989
	Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year, 1989
	Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters / Periodical Marketers of Canada Book of the Year 1989, Cat’s Eye
	Short-listed for the Booker Prize (England), 1989

	Order of Ontario, 1990
	Centennial Medal, Harvard University, 1990
	Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario writing for Wilderness Tips, 1992
	John Hughes Prize, from the Welsh Development Board, 1992
	Book of the Year Award from the Periodical Marketers of Canada for Wilderness Tips, 1992
	Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation, 1992
	Canadian Authors’ Association Novel of the Year for The Robber Bride, 1993
	Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario Writing for The Robber Bride, 1994
	Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Canadian and Caribbean Region for The Robber Bride, 1994
	Government of France’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 1994
	Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence for The Robber Bride, London U.K., 1994
	Swedish Humour Association’s International Humourous Writer Award, 1995
	Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1995
	Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario Writing for Morning in the Burned House, 1995
	Norwegian Order of Literary Merit, 1996
	Short-listed for the Booker Prize for Alias Grace, 1996
	The Giller Prize for Alias Grace, 1996
	Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year, 1996
	National Arts Club Medal of Honor for Literature, U.S.A., 1997
	Premio Mondello for Alias Grace, Italy, 1997
	Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1997
	Salon Magazine Best Fiction of the Year for Alias Grace, 1997
	Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1998
	London Literature Award, 1999
	Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1999

	Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2000.
	Winner Booker Prize for The Blind Assassin, 2000
	Nominated for the Orange Prize, 2001
	International Crimewriters Association Dashiell Hammett Award, 2001
	Canadian Booksellers Association People's Choice Award, 2001
	Short-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for The Blind Assassin, 2002
	NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2003
	The Radcliffe Medal, 2003
	Harold Washington Literary Award, 2003
	Short-listed for the Man Booker Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2003
	Short-listed for the Giller Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2003
	Short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction for Oryx and Crake, 2003
	Short-listed for the Orange Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2004
	NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2004
	Short-listed for Booker International Prize, 2005
	Banff Centre’s National Arts Award, 2005
	Edinburgh’s International Book Festival Enlightenment Award, 2005
	Chicago Tribune Literary Prize, 2005
	Markets Initiative Order of the Forest, 2006
	Short-listed for Booker International Prize, 2007
	Winner Blue Metropolis Literary Grand Prix, Montreal, 2007
	Finalist, Gov. General’s Literary Awards for The Door, 2007
	Kenyon Review Literary Achievement Award, U.S.A., 2007
	Honourary Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, 2007
	Winner of the Prince of Asturias Award for Letters, Spain, 2008
	Ontario College of Art and Design, 2009

2010-

	Crystal Award, World Economic Forum, Davos-Klosters Switzerland, 2010
	Nelly Sachs, Dortmund, Germany, 2010

Honourary Degrees: 

Trent University, 1973; Queen's University, 1974; Concordia, 1980; Smith College, Mass., 1982; University of Toronto, 1983; University of Waterloo, 1985; University of Guelph, 1985; Mount Holyoke College, 1985; Victoria College, 1987; Université de Montréal, 1991; University of Leeds, 1994; McMaster University, 1996; Lakehead University, 1998; Oxford University, 1998; Cambridge University, 2001; Algoma University, 2001. Harvard University, 2004; Sorbonne Nouvelle, 2005; Literary and Historical Society, University College Dublin 2005.