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The Writers’ Trust of Canada is recognizing another year of exceptional political writing with the 10th annual the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize. The five finalists have explored their subject matter to offer books with compelling perspective and narrative with meaning and relevance to Canadians.

The $25,000 prize will be awarded to the winning author at the Politics and the Pen Gala in Ottawa on March 10, 2010. Each of the remaining four finalists will receive $2,500.

The 2009 Contenders for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize
The finalists for this year’s award are as follows:

John English, Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000
(Knopf Canada)

Terry Gould, Murder Without Borders: Dying for the Story in the World's Most Dangerous Places
(Random House Canada)

Rudyard Griffiths, Who We Are: A Citizen's Manifesto
(Douglas & McIntyre)

James Maskalyk, Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-torn Village
(Doubleday Canada)

Daniel Poliquin, René Lévesque
(Penguin Canada)

The finalists are judged by a unique committee each year consisting of three individuals. This year’s jury is comprised of author and journalist Andrew Nikiforuk, the 2000 Shaughnessy Cohen prizewinner Erna Paris, and Maclean's foreign correspondent Michael Petrou.

Supporting Canadian Writers
The Shaughnessy Cohen Prize was inaugurated in 2000 and is named for a Member of Parliament who was popular for his forthright and direct approach to issues.  Sponsored by CTVglobemedia, the award is presented at the Politics and the Pen Gala each year. The event has a two-fold purpose, to honour Canada’s literary achievements while raising funds for the Writers’ Trust of Canada.

The Writers’ Trust of Canada is a national non-profit organization that was created in 1976 by some of Canada’s most celebrated authors. The trust offers financial support to writers while acknowledging and promoting their accomplishments. It benefits a diverse array of Canadian literary talent including fiction, poetry and non-fiction genres. The founding members are Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, David Young and the late Margaret Laurence.