The 2025 Peterson Literary Fund Awards
01.05.2026
The Peterson Literary Fund at BCU Foundation hosted its annual Awards Gala in Toronto on November 29th at historic Old Mill Toronto. Lisa Shymko, Chair of the Peterson Literary Fund, presided over the evening’s program. The event recognized leading authors and translators whose books chronicle history, champion truth, and bridge cultures through literature. Bob Leshchyshen, Chair of BCU Foundation, gave welcoming remarks. Greetings on behalf of the Government of Canada were delivered by the Hon. Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and greetings on behalf of the Government of Ukraine were delivered by Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto.
Established in 2021, the Fund is named after its founding Ukrainian-Canadian benefactor, Stanely Peterson, who was born Bohdan Patyk. The Fund recognizes the best books written on topics related to Ukraine and promotes writing that challenge the use of Russian imperialist narratives to frame Ukrainian history. The Fund’s offers prizes, awards, and grants to writers, translators, and publishers, alternating its focus biennially between original works and books in translation. In 2023, the Fund launched its Journey for Truth Project, which supports undertakings that document and raise public awareness of Russian war crimes and challenge Russian disinformation. It advances this mission by supporting scholarly research, documentaries, and international conferences.
The 2025 Journey for Truth Award: Howard G. Buffett
The highlight of this year’s gala was the presentation of the Journey for Truth Award to philanthropist Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. Mr. Buffett’s contributions to Ukraine’s resilience are exceptional, totalling nearly $1.4 billion USD in humanitarian aid, including the construction of the Superhumans Centre for surgery and prosthetics in Lviv, as well as critical support for demining and war-crime documentation. Each gala guest received a copy of his photobook, Courage of a Nation, which captures the indomitable spirit of the Ukrainian people over three years of conflict.
Recognizing Excellence in Translation: The 2025 Translated Book Awards
In addition to honoring global advocacy, the Peterson Literary Fund continues its mission to recognize the best books written on Ukraine related topics of interest to a global audience. We are proud to announce the 2025 Translated Book Award Winners:
Failed State: A Guide to Russia’s Rupture (Неспроможнa держава: Iнструкція з розшмaтування Росії)
Author: Janusz Bugajski
Translators: Hanna Rak, Anna Melnychenko, Oleksandr Okhrimenko, Maria Dubrova
Translation: English to Ukrainian
On Freedom (Про свободу)
Author: Timothy Snyder
Translator: Halyna Herasym
Translation: English to Ukrainian
State of War
Editors: Evgenia Lopata and Andriy Lyubka
Translators: Yulia Lyubka and Kate Tsurkan
Translation: Ukrainian to English
Ukrainian Sunrise: Stories of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions from the Early 2000s
Author: Kateryna Zarembo
Translator: Tetiana Savchynska
Translation: Ukrainian to English
The gala served as a powerful reminder of the role literature and philanthropy play in the pursuit of justice.
Thank you to the Awards Jury: Lisa Shymko (Chair), Nadia Gereliouk, Ivan Jaworsky, Alexander Motyl and Marko Stech.
And special thanks to the gala organizing committee: Lisa Shymko, Sonia Holiad, and Anton Sestritsyn.
Forum TV Recording of Interview of Howard G. Buffett and journalist Diane Francis
Thank you to our photographer Nick Wons.
