Carleigh Baker has won the 2017 Vancouver Book Award for Bad Endings, a short story collection which explores a range of human experiences, from the death of a relationship to struggles with mental health.

The $3,000 prize recognizes authors of any genre, who evoke an appreciation and understanding of Vancouver's history and people.

The prize is funded by the city's publishing reserve, which was established in 1977 as a permanent legacy for Vancouver writers and publishers.

The other finalists were Sam Wiebe for the novel Invisible Dead, Gabrielle Prendergast for the middle-grade novel Pandas on the Eastside, Grant Arnold et al. for the retrospective art book Susan Point: Spindle Whorl.

Baker was named one of CBC Books' writers to watch in 2017.

Bad Endings is also nominated for the $50,000 Rogers' Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.