TORONTO - Former Ontario lieutenant-governor Hilary Weston has signed on as the new sponsor of the Writers' Trust of Canada's non-fiction award, and has more than doubled the prize money to $60,000.
Organizers say the Writers' Trust Hilary Weston Prize is the largest annual literary award for a book of non-fiction published in Canada.
It succeeds the Writers' Trust Nonfiction Prize, which was without a sponsor since 2008 and was worth $25,000.
Up to four finalists for the award will each receive $5,000.
Organizers say an education component will also be developed for high schools.
The prize will be presented this fall at a Toronto gala.
Last year's winner was Toronto journalist James FitzGerald for "What Disturbs Our Blood: A Son's Quest to Redeem the Past."
"Our writers are held in great esteem worldwide for the quality and range of their ideas and ability to express them," Weston said in a release.
"I am honoured to have this unique opportunity to recognize our writers and contribute to meaningful efforts aimed at further enhancing the status of non-fiction writers in Canada and around the world."
The Writers' Trust of Canada is a charitable organization that was founded by authors including Margaret Atwood and the late Pierre Berton.
It also awards nine other annual prizes, including a fiction honour worth $25,000. Emma Donoghue won that award last year for "Room."
