Philanthropist Howard G. Buffett and historian Timothy Snyder among this year’s Peterson Literary Fund honourees
TORONTO, October 28, 2025 — The Peterson Literary Fund at BCU Foundation will host its annual awards gala in Toronto on November 29, 2025, to recognize this year’s esteemed honourees. The fund launched its Translated Book Awards in 2021 and, in 2023, established the Journey for Truth Project to encourage the dissemination of information about crimes committed by Russia by supporting publications, documentary films, scholarly research, and international conferences.
TORONTO, October 28, 2025 — The Peterson Literary Fund at BCU Foundation will host its annual awards gala in Toronto on November 29, 2025, to recognize this year’s esteemed honourees. The fund launched its Translated Book Awards in 2021 and, in 2023, established the Journey for Truth Project to encourage the dissemination of information about crimes committed by Russia by supporting publications, documentary films, scholarly research, and international conferences.
Howard G. Buffett,
international philanthropist, investor, author, photographer, and recipient of the Peterson Literary Fund "2025 Journey for Truth Award".
Photo attribution: Press Service, President of Ukraine.
Howard G. Buffett, international investor, philanthropist, author, and photographer, will receive the Peterson Literary Fund’s 2025 Journey for Truth Award. Mr. Buffett’s book, Courage of a Nation, documents three years of war featuring remarkable photographs captured by him during his extensive travels to Ukraine (23 trips to date). As executive producer of the award-winning film, Porcelain War, Mr. Buffett has played a decisive role in raising public awareness about the brutality of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the resilience of the Ukrainian people. As Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, he has overseen the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, surpassing $1 billion. Mr. Buffett currently serves as a director of the highly successful American holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.
Timothy Snyder,
Award-winning author of the book "On Freedom," recipient of a 2025 Translated Book Award from the Peterson Literary Fund.
Photo attribution:
Merlin Anthwares
Historian Timothy Snyder, who holds the James Temerty Chair in European History at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (University of Toronto), will receive a 2025 Translated Book Award for his book On Freedom, and will deliver acceptance remarks in the context of the current war in Ukraine. Snyder, the recent recipient of the Vasyl Stus Prize and Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize, is a leading scholar on Ukraine and prolific writer on Russia's war of aggression. As author/editor of 20 books, he is an acclaimed expert on modern authoritarianism and its correlation to tyranny, freedom, and international human rights.
Journalist-author Ali Velshi, Chief Correspondent for MSNBC, Senior Economic and Business Correspondent for NBC News, and anchor of the Velshi show, who has reported extensively from Ukraine, will lead part of the evening's conversation.
The awards dinner will likewise honour the winners of the 2025 Translated Book Awards, recognizing the best books in translation that promote a better understanding of Ukraine-related topics relevant to a global audience. The awards carry a cash prize for the winning authors and translators.
The winners of the Peterson Literary Fund 2025
Translated Book Awards are:
On Freedom (Crown Publishing)
Timothy Snyder – Author
Halyna Herasym, Translator - Ukrainian edition
Failed State: A Guide to Russia's Rupture (Jamestown Foundation)
Janusz Bugajski – Author
Hanna Rak, Anna Melnychenko, Oleksandr Okhrimenko, Maria Dubrova, Translators – Ukrainian edition
State of War (Meridian Czernowitz)
Evgenia Lopata, Andriy Lyubka – Editors
Yulia Lyubka & Kate Tsurkan, Translators - English edition
Ukrainian Sunrise. Stories of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions from the Early 2000s (Academic Studies Press)
Kateryna Zarembo – Author
Tetiana Savchynska, Translator – English edition
According to Lisa Shymko, Jury Chair and Chief Administrator of the Peterson Literary Fund, "This year's winning books play a vital role in dismantling the imperialist narratives that Russia propagates to conceal the crimes it has committed in Ukraine. Thanks to the translated editions of these exceptional books, a wider audience of readers will have access to meaningful writing driven by truth and unfiltered facts."
In the view of Bob Leshchyshen, Chair of the Canadian-based BCU Foundation, "the gala program will represent a unique fusion of the world of philanthropy and literature."
The winners were selected by the members of this year's Peterson Literary Fund Jury: Lisa Shymko (Jury Chair), John (Ivan) Jaworsky, Alexander Motyl, Marko R. Stech, and Nadia Gereliouk.
About the Peterson Literary Fund :
The Peterson Literary Fund was established by Canadian philanthropist Stanley Peterson, whose generosity and far-sighted vision created a literary fund with a global reach. The Peterson Literary Fund operates under the auspices of the Toronto-based BCU Foundation.
Launched in 2021, the fund oversees an international literary prize and translated book awards. It also disburses grants for writers, translators, and publishers. In accordance with the wishes of the Peterson Literary Fund’s founding benefactor, the fund is managed by Canadian political scientist Lisa Shymko, who also serves as Jury Chair.
Media enquiries: Tel. (416) 763-7005 Email: office@petersonliteraryfund.com
Yaroslav Trofimov wins the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize
TORONTO, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, LONDON, KYIV – Yaroslav Trofimov has won the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize for his book Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence (Penguin Press). The winner was announced at the Peterson Literary Fund’s awards gala held in the Guildhall of the historic Old Mill Toronto on November 30, 2024.
December 2, 2024
TORONTO, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, LONDON, KYIV – Yaroslav Trofimov has won the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize for his book Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence (Penguin Press). The winner was announced at the Peterson Literary Fund’s awards gala held in the Guildhall of the historic Old Mill Toronto on November 30, 2024.
The winner is awarded $25,000 and the book’s publisher receives $5,000.
The Peterson Literary Prize for nonfiction is a biennial international prize that recognizes the best books, written in English or Ukrainian, that promote a better understanding of Ukraine-related topics relevant to a global audience.
Our Enemies Will Vanish was one of six books shortlisted for this year’s Peterson Literary Prize. Shortlisted finalists each receive $5,000.
In his book, author Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign-affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, gives a riveting account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the heroism of the Ukrainian resistance.
Trofimov spent months at the heart of the conflict, tracing the war’s key moments—from the battle for Kyiv to the grueling battles with the Wagner Group over Bakhmut. The story of the epic bravery of the Ukrainian people is also deeply personal for the author, who grew up in Kyiv, where his family has lived for generations.
The selection of this year’s literary-prize winner and shortlist were made by members of the jury comprised of Canadian political scientist and jury chair Lisa Shymko, returning jurors Nadia Gereliouk, author and political scientist Alexander Motyl, literary scholar Marko Robert Stech, as well as British-born journalist Askold Krushelnycky.
According to Lisa Shymko, chair of the Peterson Literary Fund jury, “Trofimov’s book is exceptional” because it transports the reader from the corridors of power to the gritty trenches of the frontline.” Our Enemies Will Vanish is a powerful account of Ukraine’s fight for survival and its refusal to surrender, which Shymko says impressed jurors with its “meticulous detail from both the human and geopolitical context.”
About the Peterson Literary Fund:
The Peterson Literary Fund was established by Canadian philanthropist Stanley Peterson, whose dream was to create a literary fund with Ukrainian roots and a global reach. The fund operates under the auspices of the Toronto-based BCU Foundation. The fund encourages publications that confront disinformation and dismantle Russian colonial narratives. In addition to its cornerstone literary prize, the fund offers translated book awards as well as grant programs for writers, translators, and publishers.
Yaroslav Trofimov (centre) holds the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize crystal award. To his right: jury chair Lisa Shymko and jury member Marko R. Stech. To his immediate left: jury member Askold Krushelnycky and BCU Foundation chair Bob Leshchyshen. (Photo credit: Anna Sudyk)
Author Yaroslav Trofimov, winner of the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize for nonfiction, delivers his remarks at the awards dinner in Toronto (Photo credit: Anna Sudyk)
Shortlist for the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize is Announced
TORONTO, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, LONDON, KYIV. The Peterson Literary Fund at BCU Foundation has announced six books shortlisted for the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize for nonfiction. The biennial international prize recognizes the best nonfiction books, written in English or Ukrainian, that promote a better understanding of Ukraine-related topics relevant to a global audience.
August 27, 2024
TORONTO, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, LONDON, KYIV. The Peterson Literary Fund at BCU Foundation has announced six books shortlisted for the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize for nonfiction. The biennial international prize recognizes the best nonfiction books, written in English or Ukrainian, that promote a better understanding of Ukraine-related topics relevant to a global audience. The Peterson Literary Prize is valued at $30,000 CAD. The winning author will receive a prize of $25,000 and an additional $5,000 will be awarded to the book’s publisher. Shortlisted finalists will each receive $5,000 CAD. The winner will be announced at the Peterson Literary Fund’s annual awards ceremony and dinner on November 30, 2024, in Toronto.According to Lisa Shymko, Jury Chair, “As a result of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war on Ukraine, we have seen an unprecedented number of outstanding books published on topics related to Ukraine, its resistance, and its place on the global stage. Consistent with our founding benefactor’s vision, the Jury has chosen books that dismantle Russian imperialist narratives and also meet the diverse tastes of an international audience of readers.” The shortlist was selected by the 2024 Peterson Literary Fund Jury: Lisa Shymko (Jury Chair), Nadia Gereliouk (Toronto), Askold Krushelnycky (London-Washington-Kyiv), Alexander Motyl (New York), and Marko R. Stech (Toronto). 2024 Peterson Literary Prize Shortlist of Finalists:
Invasion: Russia’s Bloody War and Ukraine’s Fight for Survival
Author: Luke Harding
Publisher: Faber & Faber (UK) Language: English
Bakhmut [Бахмут]
Author: Myroslav Laiuk
Publisher: Ukraīner Publishing House (Ukraine) Language: Ukrainian
De-occupation. Stories of Ukrainian resistance. 2022
[Деокупація. Історії опору українців. 2022]
Author: Bohdan Logvynenko
Publisher: Ukraīner Publishing House (Ukraine) Language: Ukrainian
Killer in the Kremlin
Author: John Sweeney
Publisher: Bantam Press (UK)
Language: English
Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence
Author: Yaroslav Trofimov
Publisher: Penguin Press (USA)
Language: English
War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky, and the Path to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Author: Mikhail Zygar
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (USA)
Language: English
About the Peterson Literary Fund:
The Peterson Literary Fund was established by Canadian philanthropist Stanley Peterson, whose generosity and far-sighted vision created a literary fund with Ukrainian roots and a global reach. The Peterson Literary Fund operates under the auspices of the Toronto-based BCU Foundation. Launched in 2021, the fund oversees an international literary prize, several translated book awards, as well as grants for writers, translators, and publishers. In accordance with the wishes of the Peterson Literary Fund’s late benefactor, the fund is managed by Canadian political scientist Lisa Shymko, who also serves as Jury Chair.Prize winners are announced at the fund’s year-end awards ceremony held annually in Toronto.Click to watch last year’s awards gala keynote speaker, author and journalist Anne Applebaum. Subscribe to the Peterson Literary Fund’s new YouTube channel.For more information about the fund, visit PetersonLiteraryFund.com For media inquiries, contact the Peterson Literary Fund office: Tel. (416) 763-7005, office@petersonliteraryfund.com