The Orwell prize, which launched with a high-profile debate on Wednesday, has introduced a prize specifically for bloggers.

For the first time, bloggers will be able to enter the competition, which rewards political writing in the UK.

Each year, the prize in association with the Media Standards Trust, The Orwell Trust and Political Quarterly, awards a Book Prize and a Journalism Prize to recognise works that 'achieve George Orwell's ambition to make political writing into an art'.

This year they have launched a one-off 'Special Prize' for political blogs, to celebrate this year's launch of the Orwell Diaries Blog.

The category is already proving popular, according to Professor Jean Seaton, director of the Orwell Prize.

Although it had been mentioned on Iain Dale's well-known blog, Seaton said she was surprised to find there was already one entry for the new blogger category before the launch event was even over.

The organisers were having a drink in the bar when the first entry arrived, she told Journalism.co.uk.

The entry form for the Blog Prize can be found online and entries close January 14 2009.

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