The Governor General of Canada and Mrs. Sharon Johnston to attend The 2013 Charles Taylor Prize Announcement Ceremony Monday, March 4, 2013/

Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston will attend The 2013 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction Award ceremony, in Toronto.

The prize will be awarded by Prize founder Noreen Taylor on Monday, March 4, 2013 at a gala luncheon and awards ceremony at the famed The King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto. Media and cameras are welcome at the celebration of the finalists and winner announcement.

The awards ceremony will begin at 1:45 pm EST and will end at 2:15 pm following the announcement of the winner. All five authors will be in attendance.

The Charles Taylor Prize recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates. The Prize consists of $25,000 for the winning author and $2,000 for each of the remaining finalists. This year there are five authors on the prize shortlist. Two of the authors, Ross King and Andrew Preston, were born in Canada but now live in England, Sandra Djwa lives in Vancouver, Tim Cook lives in Ottawa, and Carol Bishop-Gwyn lives in Toronto.

The Finalists of The 2013 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction are:

Carol Bishop-Gwyn (Toronto) for The Pursuit of Perfection: A Life of Celia Franca published by Cormorant Books

Tim Cook (Ottawa) for Warlords: Borden, Mackenzie King, and Canada's World Wars published by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Canada

Sandra Djwa (Vancouver) for Journey with No Maps: A Life of P.K. Page published by McGill-Queen's University Press

Ross King (Oxford, England) for Leonardo and The Last Supper published by Bond Street Books, an imprint of Doubleday Canada

Andrew Preston (Massachusetts) for Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy published by Alfred A. Knopf Canada

The Charles Taylor Prize celebrates Canada's best literary voices, recognizing the exceptional authors who captivate us with their superb command of the English language, elegance of style and subtlety of thought and perception.

This marks the twelfth awarding of The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. The prize was originally awarded every two years, but due to an ever-increasing number of submissions, since 2004 the prize has been presented annually. It commemorates the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada's foremost essayists, a foreign correspondent and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community whose dream was to raise the public profile of non-fiction.

The jurors for The 2013 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction are television executive Susanne Boyce, along with award-winning authors Richard Gwyn and Joseph Kertes, who also founded the Humber College's distinguished creative writing and comedy programs. Full biographies of the jurors can be found at: http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2013/jury_13.asp

The trustees of The Charles Taylor Foundation gratefully acknowledge the support of their partners. The Presenting Sponsor of The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is RBC Wealth Management; the Major Sponsor is Metropia. The exclusive newspaper sponsor is The Globe and Mail and the Media Sponsors are Canada Newswire (CNW) Group, CBC Books and CBC Radio One, Maclean's Magazine, The Huffington Post Canada and Quill & Quire magazine. The In-Kind Sponsors are Authors at Harbourfront Centre (IFOA), Ben McNally Books, Event Source, Indigo Books and Music, The King Edward Hotel, and Kobo Inc., For further prize information visit: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca

Photos: To download high-resolution images of the jury, finalists, and shortlisted titles, please go to: http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2013/PHOTOGALLERY_13.asp For more information: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca
SOURCE: Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction

For further information: Issued by/Media contact : Stephen Weir & Associates
Stephen Weir: Direct: 416.489.5868 | mobile: 416.801.3101 | stephen@stephenweir.com
Linda Crane: Direct: 905.257.6033 | mobile: 416.727.0112 | cranepr@cogeco.ca
*Media planning to attend and cover must register via Stephen Weir & Associates (use mobile only on March 5)