Beiser wins Balsillie Prize
November 26th, 2025
The Writers’ Trust of Canada announced on November 25, 2025, that Vancouver-based journalist and author Vince Beiser has won the 2025 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy. The award, now in its fifth year and funded by the Balsillie Family Foundation, recognizes comprehensive nonfiction that furthers policy discussions vital to Canadians.
Beiser’s winning book, Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future (Riverhead Books $32), addresses the complex paradox at the heart of the global green transition. The jury noted that the book “deftly illustrates that the road to net zero is going to be both messy and metallic, with the underbelly of the global green transition being the huge volumes of critical minerals that are required. While the metals vary in their use-case, scarcity, and fungibility, each has unique properties that render them invaluable. Vince Beiser’s book rests on an inescapable paradox: that the most viable path to combating and solving climate change depends on extracting critical minerals from the warming planet itself. As Canada looks to maximize its geological endowment amidst an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape, this book raises essential considerations and uncomfortable questions for policymakers and citizens alike. It invites them to walk a tightrope — balancing the need to minimize our dependencies and reduce our environmental footprint, while still achieving our green goals.”. 9780593541708
The Balsillie Prize carries a top prize of $70,000, making it one of the largest awards for public policy titles in the country. Launched in 2021, the Balsillie Prize for Public Policy is intended to celebrate excellence in quality of thought and style and to underline the important role books play in advancing public discourse and bringing new ideas to Canadian policymakers.
About the Author
Vince Beiser is a veteran journalist and author who lives with his family in Vancouver. His previous work, The World in a Grain (Riverhead Books, 2018), was a finalist for a PEN America Award. His writing has appeared in major publications including Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic and The New York Times and his work has been featured on shows like The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
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