This past Thursday evening I was honoured to attend the awards ceremony for the 2011 Lane Anderson Award which celebrates the best science writing in Canada.
The winners were announced at the end of the evening. This is from the press release, which doesn't seem to be online yet:
Toronto. 2thth September, 2012: The two winners of the 2011 Lane Anderson Award were announced today by Hollister Doll and Sharon Fitzhenry, Directors of the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, at an intimate dinner in Toronto. The annual Lane Anderson Award honours two jury-selected books, in the categories of adult and young reader, published in the field of science and written by a Canadian. The winner in each category receives $10,000.
Adult Readers
The Atlantic Coast: A Natural History
The distinguishing elements of this book are its superb design and visual features. With stunning photography and well executed maps and illustrations, The Atlantic Coast is brilliantly published. Moreover, the text is not overshadowed by the visuals and is pleasantly integrated into a very accessible and informative volume. Valuable both for its scientific fact and its readability, The Atlantic Coast is a delightful book for study or simply to delve into. -- The Jury
Harry Thurston is the author of several collections of poetry and more than a dozen non-fiction books. He has also written for Audubon, Canadian Geographic and National Geographic.
Young Readers
Nowhere Else on Earth: Standing Tall for the Great Bear Rainforest
Weaving together biology, ecology, history, and the social sciences, Caitlyn Vernon demonstrates the interconnection of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. Not only does this comprehensive book have substantial science content and current information about northern regions of this impressive province, it also offers engaging side-bars with personal stories, facts and trivia, and most importantly, call to action, demonstrating the ways that even young children can make positive differences for a more sustainable future. A very important book, well designed with engaging and interesting information told in a conversational style. -- The Jury
Environmental activist Caitlyn Vernon guides readers through a forest of information, sharing her personal stories, her knowledge and her concerns. Caitlyn has a background in biology and environmental studies, and is currently a campaigner with Sierra Club BC.
A reminder of what the award is about from their website:
The Lane Anderson Award honours the very best science writing in Canada today, both in the adult and young-reader categories. Each award will be determined on the relevance of its content to the importance of science in today’s world, and the author’s ability to connect the topic to the interests of the general trade reader.”
The annual Lane Anderson Award honours two jury-selected books, in the categories of adult and young-reader, published in the field of science, and written by a Canadian.
The winner in each category will receive $10,000. Two three-person jury panels drawn from the Canadian academic, publishing, creative and institutional fields will review submissions in the two categories. The jury will be announced with the winners at an event in Toronto in mid September.
And this year's complete shortlists:
Adult Readers
- Strange New Worlds: The Search for Alien Planets and Life beyond Our Solar System
by Ray Jayawardhana
- Cascadia's Fault: The Deadly Earthquake That Will Devastate North America
by Jerry Thompson
- The Atlantic Coast: A Natural History
Young Readers
- What Does the Earth Sound Like?: 159 Astounding Science Quizzes
by Eva Everything
- Totally Human: Why We Look and Act the Way We Do
by Cynthia Pratt Nicolson
- Nowhere Else on Earth: Standing Tall for the Great Bear Rainforest
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