Next Thursday the winners of the 2011 Comment Awards, run by the brilliant media, analysis and networking business Editorial Intelligence, will be revealed at a star-studded breakfast in London.

A record 16 awards are up for grabs this year, including new awards for the Twitter Commentator of the year and Independent Blogger. We are sponsoring the Columnist of the Year Award. Here’s the short list:

• Peter Hitchens – The Mail on Sunday
• Sam Leith – London Evening Standard
• Hugo Rifkind – The Times
• Peter Wilby – New Statesman

May the best man win …