17th edition - Official launch of the nomination period for the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec - Bank of America Merrill Lynch Economic and Financial Journalism Awards of Excellence

MONTREAL, Oct. 15, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - In collaboration with its partners, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, theAssociation des économistes québécois today announced the launch of the candidate submissions period for the 17^th annual Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec-Bank of America Merrill Lynch Economic and Financial Journalism Awards of Excellence. This prestigious competition is intended to publicly recognize journalists who cover business and financial news for their role in providing information and analysis and making it understandable. Awards of $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 will be issued to the winners at a ceremony set to take place at the Centre CDP Capital in early 2014.

Nominations and prizes
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec-Bank of America Merrill Lynch Economic and Financial Journalism Awards of Excellence are open to all journalists working, in either of the two official languages, for print, audiovisual or electronic media with their main market in Québec. To qualify, candidates must submit, by November 14, 2013, an economic or financial report published or broadcast between September 1, 2012, and August 31, 2013. Awards of excellence will be presented in the three following categories: long report; short report; and column, news analysis, commentary or editorial. Competition rules, category descriptions and registration information are available from the Association or on its website: www.economistesquebecois.com.

In 2013, the first prize went to Suzanne Dansereau from Les Affaires for her series of stories "Comprendre le Plan Nord." The winner of the second prize was Stéphanie Grammond of La Presse for her story "Des hausses d'impôt salées pour les plus riches." Finally, the third prize was presented to Hélène Baril of La Presse for her story "Japon : l'autre tsunami."

"We initiated this award because we believe it is important to value and recognize the work of journalists who participate daily in the economy of Québec, disseminating quality economic and financial information to the public that is both rigorous and accessible," says Deep Khosla, Managing Director and Head of Québec Regional Operations at Merrill Lynch Canada. "Their role is essential to promote a better understanding of economic and financial events and we are proud to help celebrate the excellence of their work."

"The Caisse has been associated with this prestigious Award for 10 years now. This is a key event for Québec journalists," explained Michael Sabia, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. "Business and financial journalists in Québec play a very important role, helping us better understand the issues in an increasingly complex world. Beyond the day-to-day news items, it's the depth of their analyses that truly demonstrates how critical their role is. For an institution like the Caisse, this competition is a superb opportunity to encourage excellence in this discipline."

In conclusion, the president of the Association des économistes québécois, Marcel Mérette, states that "journalists actively participate in Québec's economic life and show a lot of discipline and professionalism in the performance of their duties. This is why our Association intends, with this award, to continue promoting excellence in economic and financial journalism."

Jury members
Chaired by Sylvie Dillard, former President of both the Association des économistes québécois (2010) and the Conseil de la science et de la technologie, the jury for this 17^th edition of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec-Bank of America Merrill Lynch Economic and Financial Journalism Awards of Excellence consists of Claude Beauchamp, journalist and former host of Capital Action (broadcast on RDI), Alain Guilbert, journalist and former President of Transcontinental Publications Inc., and Marie-Agnès Thellier, President and CEO of the Cercle des présidents and former Business Editor of 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 June 30, 2013, it held $185.9 billion in 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. Bank of America Merrill Lynch has had a major presence in Québec for over 50 years.

The Association des économistes québécois is the main organization linking economists in Québec and is dedicated to the professional advancement of its 700 members. Its primary objective is to foster the development and dissemination of economic knowledge, to enlighten public debate and to provide support for the role of economists. In keeping with its slogan, "Pour des choix éclairés" (For enlightened choices), the Association is recognized as a credible and impartial opinion leader in economic debates. Founded in 1975, it is a dynamic association open not only to economists but to anyone interested in economic and financial issues. www.economistesquebecois.com

SOURCE Association des économistes québécois (ASDEQ)