Ronald J. Deibert has been named the winner of the Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. Deibert was awarded the $25,000 prize for Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society (House of Anansi Press).

The Shaughnessy Cohen Prize, awarded annually, honours a work of literary nonfiction on a political subject that is relevant to Canadians and that has the potential to influence Canadian political life. This year’s prize was awarded at a virtual edition of the annual Politics and the Pen gala.

The jury lauded Deibert for combining “leading-edge research and gripping stories” to expose the dangers lurking online. “With trailblazing originality, he explains why it’s time to reset the internet to thwart cybercriminals, safeguard political activists, rein in environmental costs, and restrain the mayhem of social media,” the jury wrote.

The jury, comprised of author and professor Peter Dauvergne, CBC News Ottawa anchor Adrian Harewood, and Toronto Star Ottawa bureau chief Heather Scoffield, read 41 books submitted by 22 publishers to make their decisions. Deibert was one of five finalists for the prize. Reset was also shortlisted for the Donner Prize.