Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing

The Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing is a Canadian literary award, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada to the best nonfiction book on Canadian political and social issues. It has been presented annually in Ottawa at the Writers’ Trust Politics and the Pen gala since 2000,<ref name=jaimet>Kate Jaimet, "Spirit of Shaughnessy Cohen lives on at literary dinner on Hill". Ottawa Citizen, May 4, 2000.</ref> superseding the organization's defunct Gordon Montador Award.

The award has a monetary value of CAD40,000 as of 2025.

The prize was established in honour of Shaughnessy Cohen (February 11, 1948 - December 9, 1998), an outspoken and popular Liberal Member of Parliament from Windsor, Ontario who died after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in the House of Commons of Canada just seconds after standing to address her peers.<ref name=jaimet/> The award is sponsored by CN.

Submissions

All Canadian-based publishers of original manuscripts may enter two books; companies publishing more than ten eligible nonfiction titles during the 2012 calendar year may add one book for every additional ten eligible books (or fraction thereof) on their nonfiction list, up to a maximum of five. For example, a publisher with a list of 18 qualifying nonfiction books would be entitled to submit three — two for the first ten and one for the next ten.<ref name="CanEncyclopedia">"The Writers' Trust of Canada: Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing" 2012.</ref>

Jury

A three-person jury selects the winner and finalists of the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. The jury acts independently of the Writers’ Trust and is charged with interpreting the mandate and eligibility criteria of the prize, as well as determining which of the submissions best reflect the prize mandate. In evaluating the writing, literary merit is the sole criterion. Each juror may request an unlimited number of additional titles from the publisher's lists. Such titles are on equal footing with all other submissions, provided that their publishers agree to abide by the conditions laid out in this document. The judgment of the jury in selecting the winners, determining eligibility, and interpreting these rules is final.

Winners and nominees

2000s

Year	Jury	Author	Book	Result	Ref.
2001	John Crosbie Ron Graham Peter Newman	Erna Paris	Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History	Winner	<ref>"Erna Paris wins first Shaughnessy Cohen prize for political writing". Halifax Daily News, May 4, 2001.</ref>
		Victoria Freeman	Distant Relations: How My Ancestors Colonized North America	Shortlist	<ref>"Five authors up for political book award". Ottawa Citizen, April 6, 2001.</ref>
		Myrna Kostash	The Next Canada: In Search of our Future Nation
		Carol Off	The Lion, the Fox, & the Eagle: A Story of Generals and Justice in Rwanda and Yugoslavia
		Margaret Somerville	The Ethical Canary: Science, Society and the Human Spirit
2002	Maggie Siggins Pamela Wallin Hugh Winsor	Daniel Poliquin (tr. Donald Winkler)	In the Name of the Father: An Essay on Quebec Nationalism	Winner	<ref>"Daniel Poliquin wins Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for political writing". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, May 9, 2002.</ref>
		Ingeborg Boyens	Another Season's Promise	Shortlist	<ref>"Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalists named". Ottawa Citizen, April 10, 2002.</ref>
		Janice Gross Stein	The Cult of Efficiency
		Linda McQuaig	All You Can Eat
		Julian Sher	Until You Are Dead
2003	Susan Delacourt Bob Rae Janice Gross Stein	John Duffy	Fights of Our Lives: Elections, Leadership and the Making of Canada	Winner	<ref name=duffy>"Duffy wins prize for Fight of Our Lives". North Bay Nugget, May 29, 2003.</ref>
		Stephen Clarkson	Uncle Sam and Us: Globalization, Neoconservatism, and the Canadian State	Shortlist	<ref name=duffy/>
		Colin N. Perkel	Well of Lies: The Walkerton Water Tragedy
		John Saywell	The Lawmakers: Judicial Power and the Shaping of Canadian Federalism
		Daniel Stoffman	Who Gets In: What’s Wrong with Canada’s Immigration Program – and How to Fix It
2004	Clive Doucet Margaret MacMillan Peter Mansbridge	Roméo Dallaire	Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda	Winner	<ref name=dallaire>"Dallaire's controversial book wins coveted prize". Orillia Packet and Times, April 2, 2004.</ref>
		Jane Doe	The Story of Jane Doe	Shortlist	<ref name=dallaire/>
		Julian Sher, William Marsden	The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada
2005	Pat Carney Andrew Cohen Marci McDonald	Jane Jacobs	Dark Age Ahead	Winner	<ref>"Jane Jacobs' Dark Age Ahead wins Shaughnessy Cohen Prize at Ottawa event". Canadian Press, April 13, 2005.</ref>
		Gwynne Dyer	Future: Tense: The Coming World Order	Shortlist	<ref>"Jane Jacobs, Jack Granatstein among prize nominees". The Telegram, April 3, 2005.</ref>
		Jack Granatstein	Who Killed the Canadian Military?
		Jennifer Welsh	At Home in the World: Canada's Global Vision for the 21st Century
		Rex Weyler	Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists and Visionaries Changed the World
2006	Sheila Copps Bill Fox Christopher Waddell	Miriam Shuchman	The Drug Trial: Nancy Olivieri and the Science Scandal that Rocked the Hospital for Sick Children	Winner	<ref>"Shuchman wins Writer's Trust of Canada award". The Globe and Mail, June 1, 2006.</ref>
		Kim Bolan	Loss of Faith: How the Air-India Bombers Got Away with Murder	Shortlist	<ref>"Shortlist unveiled for Shaughnessy Cohen Prize". The Globe and Mail, April 19, 2006.</ref>
		William Johnson	Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada
		Amy Knight	How the Cold War Began: The Gouzenko Affair and the Hunt for Soviet Spies
		Susanne Reber, Robert Renaud	Starlight Tour: The Last, Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild
2007	Carol Goar Arthur Kroeger Susan Riley	Max Nemni, Monique Nemni (tr. William Johnson)	Young Trudeau: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada, 1919-1944	Winner	<ref>"Trudeau bio earns prize". Prince George Citizen, March 5, 2007.</ref>
		John English	Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Volume 1: 1919-1968	Shortlist	<ref>"Gotlieb, Off finalists for writing prize". Calgary Herald, January 26, 2007.</ref>
		Eddie Goldenberg	The Way It Works: Inside Ottawa
		Allan Gotlieb	The Washington Diaries, 1981-1989
		Carol Off	Bitter Chocolate: Investigating the Dark Side of the World’s Most Seductive Sweet
2008	Robert Bothwell Lawrence Martin Brigitte Pellerin	Janice Gross Stein, Eugene Lang	The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar	Winner	<ref>"Book on Canada at war wins political writing prize". Victoria Times-Colonist, February 29, 2008.</ref>
		Clive Doucet	Urban Meltdown: Cities, Climate Change and Politics as Usual	Shortlist	<ref>"Contenders for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize". Ottawa Citizen, February 24, 2008.</ref>
		Richard Gwyn	John A: The Man Who Made Us; The Life and Times of John A. Macdonald, Volume One: 1815–1867
		Andrea Mandel-Campbell	Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson
		David E. Smith	The People’s House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention
2009	Chantal Hébert William Johnson David Walmsley	James Orbinski	An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-first Century	Winner	<ref>"James Orbinski wins $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing". Canadian Press, March 4, 2009.</ref>
		Daphne Bramham	The Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in Canada’s Polygamous Mormon Sect	Shortlist	<ref>"Cohen Political Prize Shortlist Revealed". National Post, February 10, 2009.</ref>
		Erna Paris	The Sun Climbs Slow: Justice in the Age of Imperial America
		Marie Wadden	Where the Pavement Ends: Canada’s Aboriginal Recovery Movement and the Urgent Need for Reconciliation
		Chris Wood	Dry Spring: The Coming Water Crisis of North America

2010s

Year	Jury	Author	Book	Result	Ref.
2010	Andrew Nikiforuk Erna Paris Michael Petrou	John English	Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000	Winner	<ref>Mark Medley, "Historian wins Cohen prize; John English wins political writing honour for second volume of Trudeau biography". Vancouver Sun, March 12, 2010.</ref>
		Terry Gould	Murder Without Borders: Dying for the Story in the World’s Most Dangerous Places	Shortlist	<ref>"Writing prize finalists announced". Ottawa Citizen, February 2, 2010.</ref>
		Rudyard Griffiths	Who We Are: A Citizen’s Manifesto
		James Maskalyk	Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-Torn Village
		Daniel Poliquin	René Lévesque
2011	L. Ian MacDonald Rosemary Speirs Paul Wells	Anna Porter	The Ghosts of Europe: Central Europe's Past and Uncertain Future	Winner	<ref>"Political writer Anna Porter wins Shaughnessy Cohen Prize". Prince George Citizen, February 19, 2011.</ref>
		Tim Cook	The Madman and the Butcher: The Sensational Wars of Sam Hughes and General Arthur Currie	Shortlist	<ref>"Key Porter Books founder among finalists for $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize: Key Porter founder finalist for book prize". Canadian Press, January 5, 2011.</ref>
		Shelagh D. Grant	Polar Imperatives: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America
		Lawrence Martin	Harperland: The Politics of Control
		Doug Saunders	Arrival City: The Final Migration and our Next World
2012	David Akin Charlotte Gray Janice Gross Stein	Richard Gwyn	Nation Maker: Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times; Volume Two: 1867-1891	Winner	<ref>"Richard Gwyn’s biography of John A. Macdonald wins Cohen prize". The Globe and Mail, April 25, 2012.</ref>
		Ron Graham	The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau, the Gang of Eight, and the Fight for Canada	Shortlist	<ref>Mark Medley, "Books on Trudeau, beetles, up for political-writing prize". Postmedia News, February 2, 2012.</ref>
		Max Nemni, Monique Nemni (tr. George Tombs)	Trudeau Transformed: The Shaping of a Statesman, 1944-1965
		Andrew Nikiforuk	Empire of the Beetle: How Human Folly and a Tiny Bug Are Killing North America’s Great Forests
		Jacques Poitras	Imaginary Line: Life on an Unfinished Border
2013	Ed Broadbent Tasha Kheiriddin Daniel Poliquin	Marcello Di Cintio	Walls: Travels Along the Barricades	Winner	<ref>Mark Medley, "Di Cintio wins prize for political writing". Montreal Gazette, March 7, 2013.</ref>
		Taras Grescoe	Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile	Shortlist	<ref>"Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalists named". Windsor Star, January 16, 2013.</ref>
		Noah Richler	What We Talk About When We Talk About War
		Jeffrey Simpson	Chronic Condition: Why Canada’s Health-Care System Needs to be Dragged into the 21st Century
		Peter Trent	The Merger Delusion: How Swallowing Its Suburbs Made an Even Bigger Mess of Montreal
2014	Licia Corbella Jane O'Hara Doug Saunders	Paul Wells	The Longer I'm Prime Minister: Stephen Harper and Canada, 2006	Winner	<ref>"Ottawa journalist Paul Wells wins $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize". Canadian Press, April 2, 2014.</ref>
		Margaret MacMillan	The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914	Shortlist	<ref>"Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for political writing: shortlist announced". Toronto Star, February 4, 3014.</ref>
		Charles Montgomery	Happy City: Transforming Our Lives through Urban Design
		Donald J. Savoie	Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher? How Government Decides and Why
		Graeme Smith	The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan
2015	Denise Chong Terry Glavin Jane Taber	Joseph Heath	Enlightenment 2.0: Restoring Sanity to Our Politics, Our Economy, and Our Lives	Winner	<ref>Mark Medley, "Joseph Heath wins the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing". The Globe and Mail, March 11, 2015.</ref>
		Chantal Hébert, Jean Lapierre	The Morning After: The 1995 Quebec Referendum and the Day that Almost Was	Shortlist	<ref>"Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalists announced". The Globe and Mail, January 27, 2015.</ref>
		Naomi Klein	This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate
		John Ralston Saul	The Comeback: How Aboriginals Are Reclaiming Power and Influence
		Graham Steele	What I Learned About Politics: Inside the Rise – and Collapse – of Nova Scotia’s NDP Government
2016	Tim Cook Robyn Doolittle Antonia Maioni	John Ibbitson	Stephen Harper	Winner	<ref>"John Ibbitson’s biography of Stephen Harper wins the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing". National Post, April 21, 2016.</ref>
		Greg Donaghy	Grit: The Life and Politics of Paul Martin Sr.	Shortlist	<ref>"Awards: Andrew Nikiforuk, Sheila Watt-Cloutier among finalists for 2016 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for political writing". Quill & Quire, March 2, 2016.</ref>
		Norman Hillmer	O.D. Skelton: A Portrait of Canadian Ambition
		Andrew Nikiforuk	Slick Water: Fracking and One Insider’s Stand Against the World’s Most Powerful Industry
		Sheila Watt-Cloutier	The Right To Be Cold: One Woman’s Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic, and the Whole Planet
2017	Nahlah Ayed Colby Cosh Megan Leslie	Kamal Al-Solaylee	Brown: What Being Brown in the World Today Means (To Everyone)	Winner	<ref>"Kamal Al-Solaylee wins Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Brown: What Being Brown in the World Today Means (to Everyone)". CBC Books, May 11, 2017.</ref>
		Christie Blatchford	Life Sentence: Stories from Four Decades of Court Reporting — Or, How I Fell Out of Love with the Canadian Justice System (Especially Judges)	Shortlist	<ref>"Shaughnessy Cohen book prize shortlist announced". Toronto Star, March 21, 2017.</ref>
		Ian McKay, Jamie Swift	The Vimy Trap: Or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Great War
		James McLeod	Turmoil, as Usual: Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Road to the 2015 Election
		Noah Richler	The Candidate: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail
2018	Taiaiake Alfred Joseph Heath Kady O'Malley	Tanya Talaga	Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
		Christopher Dummitt	Unbuttoned: A History of Mackenzie King’s Secret Life	Shortlist	<ref>"Breaking down the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize shortlist". The Globe and Mail, May 3, 2018.</ref>
		Carol Off	All We Leave Behind: A Reporter’s Journey into the Lives of Others
		Sandra Perron	Out Standing in the Field: A Memoir by Canada’s First Female Infantry Officer
		Ted Rowe	Robert Bond: The Greatest Newfoundlander
2019	André Picard Angela Sterritt Chris Turner	Rachel Giese	Boys: What It Means to Become a Man	Winner	<ref>"Journalist Rachel Giese wins $25,000 Writers’ Trust of Canada award for book on masculinity". National Post, May 16, 2019.</ref>
		Abu Bakr Al-Rabeeah, Winnie Yeung	Homes: A Refugee Story	Shortlist	<ref>"Books about masculinity, energy projects among Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalists". The Globe and Mail, April 3, 2019.</ref>
		Sarah Cox	Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley’s Stand Against Big Hydro
		Jacques Poitras	Pipe Dreams: The Fight for Canada’s Energy Future
		Harley Rustad	Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees

2020s

Year	Jury	Author	Book	Result	Ref.
2020	Greg Donaghy Althia Raj Paula Simons	Beverley McLachlin	Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law	Winner	<ref>"Beverley McLachlin wins $25K Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing for memoir Truth Be Told". CBC Books, September 24, 2020.</ref>
		Adam Chapnick	Canada on the United Nations Security Council: A Small Power on a Large Stage	Shortlist	<ref>Ryan Porter, "Indigenous justice, international relations among topics explored in shortlisted Shaughnessy Cohen titles". Quill & Quire, July 29, 2020.</ref>
		Harold R. Johnson	Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada
		Jonathan Manthorpe	Claws of the Panda: Beijing's Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada
		Kent Roach	Canadian Justice, Indigenous Injustice: The Gerald Stanley and Colten Boushie Case
2021	Peter Dauvergne Adrian Harewood Heather Scoffield	Ronald Deibert	Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society	Winner	<ref>Vicky Qiao, "Ronald J. Deibert's Massey Lectures on technology wins $25K prize for best Canadian political writing". CBC Books, September 22, 2021.</ref>
		Celina Caesar-Chavannes	Can You Hear Me Now?: How I Found My Voice and Learned to Live with Passion and Purpose	Shortlist	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		Desmond Cole	The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power
		Alex Marland	Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada
		Karin Wells	The Abortion Caravan: When Women Shut Down Government in the Battle for the Right to Choose
2022	Charelle Evelyn Jacques Poitras Lisa Raitt	Joanna Chiu	China Unbound: A New World Disorder	Winner	<ref>"Joanna Chiu winner of the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for political writing". Toronto Star, May 17, 2022.</ref>
		Mike Blanchfield, Fen Osler Hampson	The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-China Cyber War	Shortlist	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
		Flora MacDonald, Geoffrey Stevens	Flora! A Woman in a Man’s World
		Stephen Poloz	The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future
		Jody Wilson-Raybould	Indian in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power
2023	Terri E. Givens Nik Nanos Jacques Poitras	Chris Turner	How to Be a Climate Optimist: Blueprints for a Better World	Winner	<ref>Ian Bailey, "Chris Turner wins Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for climate change book". The Globe and Mail, May 11, 2023.</ref>
		Norma Dunning	Kinauvit?: What’s Your Name? The Eskimo Disc System and a Daughter’s Search for Her Grandmother	Shortlist	<ref>"Globe reporter Josh O’Kane among Shaughnessy Cohen book prize nominees". The Globe and Mail, March 29, 2023.</ref>
		Dale Eisler	From Left to Right: Saskatchewan’s Political and Economic Transformation
		Josh O'Kane	Sideways: The City Google Couldn't Buy
		Andrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson	Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation
2024	Joanna Chiu Dale Eisler Kathleen Wynne	John Vaillant	Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast	Winner	<ref>"Vancouver author John Vaillant wins $25K Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing". CBC Books, May 8, 2024.</ref>
		Rob Goodman	Not Here: Why American Democracy Is Eroding and How Canada Can Protect Itself	Shortlist	<ref>"'Fire Weather' among books shortlisted for Shaughnessy Cohen Prize". Lakeland Today, March 19, 2024.</ref>
		Benjamin Perrin	Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial
		Donald J. Savoie	Canada: Beyond Grudges, Grievances, and Disunity
		Astra Taylor	The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart
2025	Jennifer Ditchburn Sara Mojtehedzadeh Chris Waddell	Raymond B. Blake	Canada's Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		Stephen Maher	The Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau	Shortlist	<ref>Cassandra Drudi, "Tanya Talaga, Jane Philpott among authors shortlisted for 2025 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize". Quill & Quire, April 2, 2025.</ref>
		Jane Philpott	Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada
		Alasdair Roberts	The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive the Twenty-First Century
		Tanya Talaga	The Knowing

External links

• Shaughnessy Cohen Prize