Orwell Prize: Bloggers and journalists shortlists

The shortlists for this year’s Orwell Prize 2011 for political writing have been announced.

The shortlisted bloggers are:

Cath Elliott, Too Much To Say For Myself (http://toomuchtosayformyself.com/); and Liberal Conspiracy, Comment is Free.

Daniel Hannan, Daniel Hannan – Telegraph Blogs (www.hannan.co.uk)

Duncan McLaren, Visiting Mabel (http://www.saga.co.uk/health/carers/blog/visiting-mabel/archive.asp)

Graeme Archer, ConservativeHome (http://conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright/graeme_archer/index.html)

Heresiarch, Heresy Corner (http://heresycorner.blogspot.com)

Molly Bennett, Mid-Wife Crisis (http://mid-wife-crisis-blog.blogspot.com/)

Paul Mason, Idle Scrawl – BBC Newsnight (www.bbc.co.uk/paulmason)

Journalism Prize

The shortlisted journalists are:

Philip Collins, The Times
Amelia Gentleman, the Guardian
Catherine Mayer, TIME
Gideon Rachman, Financial Times
Jenni Russell, Sunday Times; the Guardian
Rachel Shabi, the Guardian
Declan Walsh, the Guardian; Granta

Among those shortlisted for the book prize is Christopher Hitchens, for his memoir Hitch-22. Last year, his brother Peter Hitchens won the Orwell Prize for Journalism.

Director of the Orwwell Prize, Jean Seaton, said: "Blogging is mutating faster than a fruit fly in a scientific experiment: now in its third year, the Blog Prize shows how this new vehicle for writing is both taking us into areas of private and unreported experience (like the inner life of politics in Mid-Wife Crisis), but also finding new voices, magnanimous and distinct."

The winners of the Orwell Prizes – each worth £3000 – will be announced at an awards ceremony at Church House, Westminster, on Tuesday 17th May, 6.30 for 7pm.