Maria Marianayagam | Top 40 Under 40 2025

Age: 39

Occupation: Children’s Book Author

Maria Marianayagam is rewriting the storyscape of children’s literature one book at a time by giving main-character energy to underrepresented voices, specifically girls in science, technology, enegineering and math (STEM).

After graduating from the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering in 2009, Marianayagam, a Tamil Sri Lankan-Canadian, joined the oil and gas industry as an engineer in training. What she noticed in both spaces was an under-representation of women and people of colour. This glaring absence ignited her storytelling impulse. In 2019, after 10 years working as an engineer in the energy industry, she left to become a full-time author.

As a mother of three girls, Marianayagam felt it was a calling rooted in passion and purpose.

“Writing for children is both a creative pursuit and a profound responsibility, as these books help shape the values, confidence and world view of future leaders,” she says.

Today, Marianayagam is a nationally recognized voice in children’s literature. By the end of 2025, she will have published eight titles in two years, with three additional contracted titles to follow in 2026 and 2027, all by major publishing houses. Many of her books are also published in the U.S. and the U.K., with global distribution.

She still finds time to volunteer as the communications officer of the Alberta Women’s Science Network, where she helps raise the profile of STEM organizations across the province.

Her debut picture book, The Amazing Power Of Girls, has been endorsed by leading STEM organizations and was named a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Book for Kids, and her middle-grade book, No Purchase Necessary, received star reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, Booklist and BookPage.

But, for Marianayagam, the impact of her books is the reward: “I measure success by the children who see themselves for the first time in my books or by young girls who now believe they can be scientists or engineers.”

Thank yous
“God-first and always; my incredible husband and three daughters; my loving parents and wonderful sister; my supportive in-laws; my niece and nephews; my agents, editors, mentors, book community and especially my readers.”