New and lucrative prize for history book that makes a difference

A new non-fiction prize for a book of history has been established that may well be of interest to magazine writers who turn their articles into books. It is believed to be one of the largest non-fiction literary prizes in the world, ranking ahead of the Samuel Johnson Prize (£30,000), the Kiryama Prize (US$30,000) and the Charles Taylor Prize ($25,000).

The Cundill International Prize has been created at and is administered by McGill University. The entry deadline for the first of what will be annual awards is June 30 (if you haven't started the book, perhaps next year). The individual who wins will receive $75,000 and there will be two second-place prizes of $10,000 each.

The award (which is funded by the Cundill Foundation in the name of mutual fund mogul F. Peter Cundill) is for a book that has had, or is likely to have, a "profound literary, social or academic impact in the area of history".