NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- At the tenth annual Bastiat Prize for Journalism, First Place – and $50,000 in prize money – was shared by Tom Easton of The Economist (UK) and Virginia Postrel of Bloomberg News (for pieces published by The Wall Street Journal and by Bloomberg). Both also received an engraved crystal candlestick – a nod to Bastiat's ironic and iconic Petition.

Second prize (including $15,000 and a candlestick) went to Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe.

Third prize (including $5,000 and a candlestick) went to Salil Tripathi, a London-based journalist.

The Bastiat Prize celebrates journalists whose writing emulates the great 19th Century French classical liberal philosopher and politician, Frederic Bastiat.

"Easton and Postrel are modern day Bastiats," said IPN President, Julian Morris. "Their writing is witty and erudite; they explain clearly and eloquently the importance of freedom and the dangers of restricting freedom," he continued.

Previous Bastiat Prize winners were: 2010: Bret Stephens (The Wall Street Journal), 2009: John Hasnas (The Wall Street Journal), 2008: Barton Hinkle (Richmond Times-Dispatch), 2007: Amit Varma (Mint, India), 2006: Jamie Whyte (The Times) and Tim Harford (The Financial Times and New York Times), 2005: Mary O'Grady (The Wall Street Journal), 2004: Robert Guest (The Economist), 2003: Brian Carney (The Wall Street Journal Europe), 2002: Sauvik Chakraverti (Economic Times, India) and Amity Shlaes (The Financial Times).

Judges this year were: Gurcharan Das, Steve Forbes, Chrystia Freeland, Charles Kadlec, Dominic Lawson, James Piereson, Carl Schramm, and Amity Shlaes. Previous judges have included Lady Thatcher, the Late Milton Friedman, and Professor James Buchanan.

Entries for the Bastiat prize are judged by their: support for the institutions of the free society, persuasiveness, wit and creativity, relevance, and clarity and simplicity. The Prize is open to all writers, anywhere in the world; and the writers need not be associated with any specific publication.

International Policy Network (IPN) is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental, educational charity, which seeks to improve public understanding of the role of the institutions of the free society. For more on IPN and the Bastiat prize, please browse: http://www.policynetwork.net/

The Bastiat Prize was supported by a generous gift from Thomas W. Smith Foundation. Additional sponsorship was provided by Bloomberg News, Beth and Ravenel Curry, the Franklin Center for Government and Public Policy, Heritage Foundation Center for Media and Public Policy, Roger and Susan Hertog, Pamela Hoiles, Charles Kadlec, Legatum Institute, James Lyle, Gerry Ohrstrom, Daniel Oliver, James Piereson, Joseph and Diane Steinberg, Judy and Michael Steinhardt, Strategas Research Partners, the Alice M. and Thomas J. Tisch Foundation, The Wall Street Journal, Ali Wambold and Monica Gerard-Sharp. Media sponsorship was provided by The American Spectator, CapitalHQ, National Review, Real Clear Politics, the Reason Foundation, and The Wall Street Journal Europe

Tom Easton's winning articles:
Bamboo Capitalism: http://www.economist.com/node/18332610
Let a Million Flowers Bloom: http://www.economist.com/node/18330120

Virginia Postrel's winning articles:
No Free Locavore Lunch: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989304575503972940124574.html
Need a Light Bulb? Uncle Sam Gets to Decide: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-10/need-a-light-bulb-uncle-sam-gets-to-choose-virginia-postrel.html
The Fantasy of Survivalism: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013604576246900396124530.html

Jeff Jacoby's winning articles:
A deadly organ-donor system: http://www.jeffjacoby.com/5799/a-deadly-organ-donor-system
Clunker Q&A [or: The Truth about Cash for Clunkers]: http://www.jeffjacoby.com/6145/clunker-q
A ride in Big Brother's Audi [or: Big Brother out of control]: http://www.jeffjacoby.com/6931/a-ride-in-big-brothers-audi

Salil Tripathi's winning articles:
Poor conditions for borrowing in India: http://www.thenational.ae/business/poor-conditions-for-borrowing-in-india
A Dirigisme for the Poor: http://www.livemint.com/2010/09/29212727/A-dirigisme-for-the-poor.html?h=B
You are Not Free: http://www.livemint.com/2010/08/12203042/You-are-not-free.html?h=A3

SOURCE International Policy Network

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