VANCOUVER - British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction - Canada's largest non-fiction prize - was awarded in Vancouver today to John Vaillant for his book, "The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival.";

Vaillant of Vancouver was presented with the $40,000 prize at a ceremony that also celebrated the other three finalists for this year's award:

· Stevie Cameron of Toronto for "On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women";.

· James FitzGerald of Toronto for "What Disturbs Our Blood: A Son's Quest to Redeem the Past";.

· Charles Foran of Peterborough for "Mordecai: The Life & Times";.

British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, now in its seventh year, is the only national book prize to originate in B.C., and is Canada's largest award for literary non-fiction. The award is presented annually by the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, an independent foundation established by the Province in 2003 to celebrate excellence in the arts, humanities, enterprise and community service.

"This year's independent jury panel were asked to consider more than 150 nominated books,"; said foundation chair Keith Mitchell.

The 2011 jury for the B.C. Award consisted of author and columnist Philip Marchand; author and broadcaster Noah Richler; and Alma Lee, the founding executive director of The Writers' Union of Canada and founder of the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival.

The jury cited "The Tiger"; as "a chilling adventure...Vaillant's description of the locale and the people who live there brings them to life,"; and as "a page-turner that in the end brings us to understand the tiger, probably the most intelligent super-predator in the world. Superbly written and highly enlightening, this is a gripping story about man in conflict with nature.";