Official launch of the candidate submissions period for the 14th edition of
the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec-Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Economic and Financial Journalism Awards of Excellence

MONTREAL, Oct. 12 /CNW Telbec/ - The Association des économistes québécois (ASDEQ), in collaboration with its partners, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, today announced the launch of the candidate submissions period for the 14th edition of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec-Bank of America Merrill Lynch Economic and Financial Journalism Awards of Excellence. This prestigious competition publicly recognizes the quality of the reporting, analysis and popularization work by journalists who cover business and financial news. Prizes of $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 will be awarded to the winners on January 19, 2011, during a ceremony at Centre CDP Capital.

This competition is open to all journalists working for print, audiovisual or electronic media in Québec, in either of the two official languages. To qualify, candidates must submit, by November 12, 2010, an economic or financial report published or broadcast between September 1, 2009, and August 31, 2010. Excellence prizes will be awarded in the following three categories: long report, short report and column-news-analysis-commentary-editorial. The competition rules, descriptions of the categories as well as registration information are available from ASDEQ or on its website at www.asdeq.org.

Last year, first prize went to Anne Panasuk of Radio-Canada, the French-language service of the CBC, for her excellent short report "Le papier commercial" (commercial paper). Daniel Chrétien of L'Actualité won second prize for his story "Les nouveaux monstres des mers" (the new sea monsters), while third prize was awarded to Martine Turenne of Les Affaires for her report "Plus les femmes travaillent, plus elles ont d'enfants" (the harder women work, the more children they have).

"We are very pleased with the quality of the articles and reports submitted, as well as with the number of submissions that we have received each year since the Awards were introduced in 1997," says ASDEQ President François Delorme. "This speaks to the reputation and importance that this prestigious competition has earned over the years within Québec's journalistic community."

For his part, Guy Savard, Chairman of the Board of Merrill Lynch Canada and the prime mover behind the awards, notes: "It is important that we appreciate and recognize the work of journalists who participate daily in Québec's economic life by providing the public with quality business and financial information that is thorough, critical and accessible. With the increasingly complex challenges that we are facing in the current climate, they play a vital role in ensuring that Quebecers have a better understanding of business and financial news."

Adds Michel Sabia, President and CEO of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec: "The Caisse is proud to be associated with this competition, which awards the most important journalism prizes in Québec. By promoting better understanding of business and financial challenges, journalists help educate the entire public and give them access to relevant and reliable information."

Jury members
The jury for this 14th edition, chaired by Marie-France Germain, general manager of ASDEQ, comprises Claude Beauchamp, journalist and former host of the "Capital Action" show on RDI; Colette Brin, professor in the Department of Information and Communications, Faculty of Arts, Université Laval; Alain Guilbert, journalist and former President of Transcontinental Publications Inc.; and Marie-Agnès Thellier, President and CEO of the Cercle des présidents du Québec and previously editor of the business pages at Le Journal de Montréal.

Awards partners
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is a financial institution that manages funds primarily for public and private pension and insurance plans. At December 31, 2009, it held $131.6 billion of net assets. As one of the leading institutional fund managers in Canada, the Caisse invests in the main financial markets as well as in private equity and real estate. For more information: www.lacaisse.com.

Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions. Bank of America Merrill Lynch focuses on middle-market and large corporations, institutional investors, financial institutions and government entities.  It provides innovative services in M&A, equity and debt capital raising, lending, trading, risk management, research, and liquidity and payments management.  Bank of America Merrill Lynch serves clients in more than 150 countries. 

The ASDEQ is the principal organization bringing together economists in Québec and is dedicated to the professional advancement of its approximately 700 members. Its primary objective is to foster awareness of, and knowledge about, the field of economics. ASDEQ is a dynamic association that is open not only to economists, but also to anyone interested in economic and financial issues. The association is recognized as a vital participant in today's great economic debates. www.asdeq.org.

For further information:

Valérie Gonzalo
514 626-6976
[email protected]