Awards Jury
It was the desire of the late Stanley Peterson — the founder of the Peterson Literary Fund — that members of the literary fund’s jury be comprised of individuals with a deep understanding of the unique history of Ukrainian identity
The jury will, from time to time, include a mix of writers, editors, journalists, academics, literary translators, and other professionals qualified to undertake a balanced review and assessment of the works submitted to the various prize, awards, and grants programs offered by the Peterson Literary Fund. When warranted, the Awards Jury will have access to the Peterson Literary Fund’s advisors and international language evaluators.
In addition to their professional qualifications, members of the Awards Jury are selected with consideration to fair representation of gender, age, language competency, community engagement, and global awareness.
All books and manuscripts submitted to the various prize, awards, and grants programs of the Peterson Literary Fund will be evaluated using a particular set of JUDGING CRITERIA
2025 Awards Jury
Lisa Shymko holds an M.A. in Political Science (University of Toronto) and a Four-year Honours B.A. with a Specialist in Canadian constitutional law and Soviet history and a Double Minor in Economics and Slavic Studies (University of St. Michael's College - University of Toronto).
Ivan (John) Jaworsky is Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo. His research interests include dissent in the Soviet Union (especially Soviet Ukraine) and its legacies in the Soviet successor states, regional issues and inter-ethnic relations in Ukraine, civil-military relations in Ukraine, the Ukrainian diaspora, and Canada’s multiculturalism policy. Between 2000 and 2010 he was a research associate with the “Building Democracy in Ukraine” and “Democratic Education in Ukraine” projects (Queen’s University).
Marko Robert Stech is a writer, literary scholar, and specialist in the history of culture.
He holds a PhD in Slavic Studies and a MASc in Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Alexander J. Motyl is a painter, writer, and professor. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2008 and 2013, he is the author of eleven novels and a collection of poetry. His artwork has been shown in solo and group shows in New York, Philadelphia, Westport, and Toronto and is part of the permanent collection of the Ukrainian Museum in New York and the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Winnipeg. He has done performances of his fiction at the Cornelia Street Café and the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City.
Nadia Gereliouk holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto. As the youngest member of the Awards Jury, Nadia’s interests complement the variety of perspectives shared by the jury vis-à-vis new publications on Ukrainian themes.
Honorary Patrons
Award-winning journalist and broadcaster
Editor-at-Large, National Post; Columnist, Financial Post; popular Substack Newsletter author
Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council
Bestselling author of ten books
Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Ukraine’s Parliament (2014-2019)
Voted Leading Global Thinker in 2014 by Foreign Policy magazine
Co-founder, International Centre for Ukrainian Victory
Advisor to the Warsaw Security Forum
Canadian economist, academic, writer, commentator
Professor Emeritus, Ivey Business School, Western University
Head, Economic Advisory Council to Ukraine’s Ministry of Economics (2014-2015)
Ukrainian historian, journalist, author
Editor-in-chief of the online edition of "Historical Truth"Winner of the Ukrainian PEN Club’s inaugural "Georgiy Gongadze Award"
Author of The Case of Vasyl Stus — first place winner of the Ukrainian Book Institute’s "List of 30 iconic books of Ukrainian Independence"
Belgian diplomat (French-speaking region of Wallonia-Brussels)
Head of mission in Prague, Hanoi, Tunis, Warsaw and at UNESCO/OECD in Paris
Lecturer, commentator, columnist - l'Année Francophone Internationale (2010-2016)
American historian, political scientist, poet, writer, translator, artist-painter
Professor of political science at Rutgers University
Author of many books, including Imperial Ends: The Decline, Collapse, and Revival of Empires, (Columbia University Press), and the novel trilogy: The Jew Who Was Ukrainian (2011); Vovochka: The True Confessions of Vladimir Putin's Best Friend and Confidant (2015); and Pitun's Last Stand: An Entertainment about the Fall of Russia (2021)
Ukrainian journalist, author, political commentator
Winner of the 1989 Golden Pen Award of the Ukrainian Association of Journalists
Host of the tv program “Politclub” on Espresso TV
Editor and host of the program “Roads To Freedom”, produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Canadian diplomat, global affairs expert
Business Ombudsman of Ukraine (since January 1, 2022)
Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine (2014-2019)
Former Canadian Ambassador to Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia (2011-2014)
Advisors
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Olga Klymenko
Olga Klymenko holds an M.A. in History (Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University), M.A. in Central European History (Central European University) and an MSc in Research, Economic and Social History (University of Edinburgh). She currently holds a research position with the Holodomor Research & Education Consortium in Toronto, Canada.
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Anton Sestritsyn
Born in Crimea, Ukraine, Anton holds a Public Affairs and Policy Management degree from Carleton University. Fluent in three languages, with working knowledge of three others, his journalistic, NGO, and policy work on foreign affairs and human rights led him to advise delegations at the UN, the U.S. Senate, and Canadian Parliament. He has served as a senior consultant at Earnscliffe Strategy Group, held senior executive and advisory positions with leading Canadian firms, and is currently an Ottawa-based foreign policy and communications consultant.
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Oksana Smerechuk
Oksana Smerechuk has a degree in Linguistics from the University of Sydney (Australia). She was a researcher and fixer for CBC News and BBC Newsnight in Moscow in the last years of the USSR, and co-hosted Hromadske Radio’s Ukraine Calling in Kyiv. Ms. Smerechuk spearheaded Ukrainian-English interpretation and translation for Canada at the head of state-level. She was President of the International Women's Club of Belgrade, President of the Ambassadors' Spouses Club of Kyiv and contributed to the recent podcast and book edition of Ukrainian Public Radio’s Ukraine Calling.
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Ksenya Kiebuzinski
DesKsenya Kiebuzinski holds a PhD in literary studies from Brandeis University, as well as master’s degrees in information sciences and French and women’s studies. Her diverse background led her to serve as Head of the Petro Jacyk Central and East European Resource Centre, and Slavic Resources Coordinator for the University of Toronto Libraries.She is co-director of the Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine at the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. She has held a variety of positions in academic libraries, archives, and museums. Her research interests include nineteenth-century French cultural history, Slavic studies, and the history of the book.
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Oles Kulchynskyy
Oles Kulchynskyy is a scholar, writer, and translator from Turkish into Ukrainian and a lecturer at the Department of Ukrainian Studies, Istanbul University. He holds a PhD in Turkish Studies (Istanbul University) and a PhD in Linguistics (A. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies, NAS of Ukraine).