Lionel Gelber Prize value increases to $50,000

IMAGE: The Lionel Gelber Prize; Foreign Policy; Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

— Annual book prize hosted by the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy awarded to top book on international affairs —

TORONTO, Oct. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The prize value of one of Canada's top literary awards will increase to $50,000 for the winning entry, the Lionel Gelber Prize board announced today.

"For more than thirty years, the Lionel Gelber Prize has highlighted some of the most important issues and authors writing in international affairs," said Judith Gelber, Chair of the Lionel Gelber Prize board. "We are excited to increase the value of the prize and to bring greater attention to these important works."

The Lionel Gelber Prize, awarded annually by the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and Foreign Policy magazine, is given to the best international affairs book published in English each year. The prize previously had an annual award value of $15,000 CAD. The winner will receive their prize at a ceremony and public lecture held at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy in April 2023.

The Gelber Prize board also announced that Professor Ian Shugart will take over as the Prize's new jury chair. Shugart was recently appointed to the Munk School as Professor, teaching stream. He had previously served in the federal civil service as Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to Cabinet and was sworn into the Senate of Canada on September 29, 2022.

"I am honoured to lead the jury for the Lionel Gelber Prize and to highlight some of the most important global conversations of our time," said Shugart. "We are indebted to former jury chair Janice Stein for her excellent stewardship of the prize and look forward to working with this year's esteemed jurors to select the winning title."

The prize was founded in 1989 by former Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber, with the aim of deepening public debate on significant international issues. Recent winners have included Carter Malkasian for The American War in Afghanistan: A History, Matthew C. Klein and Michael Pettis for Trade Wars are Class Wars: How Rising Inequality Distorts the Global Economy and Threatens International Peace, Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes for The Light that Failed: A Reckoning, and Adam Tooze for Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World.

The Lionel Gelber Prize is awarded annually to the top English-language book on international affairs. The Prize is presented by the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. www.munkschool.utoronto.ca/gelber

Contact:  Lani Krantz, lani.krantz@utoronto.ca, 647-407-4384 (text preferred)