Marc Sidwell, Bastiat Prize administrator for IPN, told Journalism.co.uk that finalists for the prize are 'judged for quality of writing' rather than their public profile.
Sidwell added that he felt Hannan had been 'slightly unfairly treated' by the media
for his recent comments.
Running alongside the MEP is Shikha Dalmia, a columnist at Forbes.com, and Rohan Samarajiva, a
columnist at LankaBusinessOnline.
Winners of the prize, which is sponsored by the International Policy Network
(IPN), will be announced on
October 26.