Four Guardian journalists on long list for 2010 Orwell Prize

Five journalists from the Guardian have made it onto the long list for the 2010 Orwell Prize for political writing. Ian Cobain, Paul Lewis and Amelia Gentleman are longlisted for the journalism prize, while David Smith is nominated for his blog from Africa. Guardian writer Andy Beckett has also been nominated in the book category for When the Lights Went Out, about British politics in the 1970s. In the journalism category, the Guardian trio join the Mail on Sunday's Peter Hitchens, nominated for the third time in four years, and the Independent and Independent on Sunday's Hamish McCrae and Robert Verkaik. Gideon Rachman from the Financial Times and Sky News's Tim Marshall also make the list for the blog prize. Last year the blog prize went to anonymous policeman Jack Night, who was later exposed by the Times as Richard Horton. He becomes a judge this year. Two public servants writing under pseudonyms have also been longlisted for this year's blog prize – policewoman PC Ellie Bloggs and social worker Winston Smith. "This year's longlist shows a distinct trend towards reportage and investigative journalism, [with] notable scoops including Ian Cobain on torture, Paul Lewis on policing and the G20 and Cathy Newman with various UK politics stories," said the Orwell Prize organisers. "Peter Hitchens is longlisted for the third time in four years, while the Economist's Moscow Bureau Chief, Arkady Ostrovsky, is longlisted for a second consecutive year. Mary Riddell was previously shortlisted in 2008." Due to the high standards of entries in both the journalism and blogs categories, there have been 14 nominees in both categories instead of the usual 12, the organisers added. This article was amended on 26 March. It originally omitted Andy Beckett from the count of Guardian journalists; this has been corrected. Journalism prize John Arlidge, Sunday Times (Magazine; News Review) Ian Cobain, the Guardian (G2) Jonathan Foreman, Standpoint Amelia Gentleman, the Guardian (G2) Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday Paul Lewis, the Guardian Anthony Loyd, Standpoint, the Times Hamish McRae, the Independent Cathy Newman, Channel 4 News Arkady Ostrovsky, the Economist, Foreign Policy Catherine Philp, the Times David Reynolds, BBC (Radio 4, News Online) Mary Riddell, Daily Telegraph Robert Verkaik, the Independent, Independent on Sunday Blog prize David Osler, Dave's Part David Smith, Letter from Africa Gideon Rachman, rachmanblog Hopi Sen, Hopi Sen Iain Dale, Iain Dale's Diary Jack of Kent, Jack of Kent Laurie Penny, Penny Red and others Madam Miaow, Madam Miaow Says Mary Beard, A Don's Life Morus, PoliticalBetting.com , Daily Kos PC Ellie Bloggs, A Twenty-First Century Police Officer ray, The Bad Old Days Will End Tim Marshall, Foreign Matters Winston Smith, Working with the Underclass Book prize Andy Beckett, When the Lights Went Out, Faber Brian Chikwava, Harare North, Jonathan Cape Nick Cohen, Waiting for the Etonians, Fourth Estate Christopher De Bellaigue, Rebel Land, Bloomsbury Ruth Dudley Edwards, Aftermath, Harvill Secker Petina Gappah, Elegy for Easterly, Faber/Farrar, Straus and Giroux David Gardner, Last Chance, I B Tauris Andrea Gillies, Keeper, Short Books Tristram Hunt, The Frock-Coated Communist, Allen Lane John Kampfner, Freedom for Sale, Simon & Schuster Kenan Malik, From Fatwa to Jihad, Atlantic Books Vesna Maric, Bluebird: A Memoir, Granta Books Fintan O'Toole, Ship of Fools, Faber Michael Peel, A Swamp Full of Dollars, I. B. Tauris Sara Wheeler, The Magnetic North, Jonathan Cape Wilkinson & Pickett, The Spirit Level, Allen Lane Ben Wilson, What Price Liberty?, Faber Michela Wrong, It's Our Turn to Eat, Fourth Estate • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".