As the annual judging draws to a close, a small set of Montaigne Medal finalists is announced prior to the Eric Hoffer Award for Books. This small list or "short list" of finalists is an honored distinction of its own and is announced publicly during the spring of each award year. Below are the current and previous short-listed entires in alphabetical order by book:

2008
* Long Shadows, David Giffey (editor), Atwood Publishing
* Marwan, Aram Schefrin, AuthorHouse
* The Aesthetics of Equity, Craig L. Wilkins, University of Minnesota
* The Emotional Plague, Dr. Charles Konia, A.C.O. Press
* The Thread of Ariadne, George Sopasakis, Llumina Press
* Their Other Sides, Helen Barolini, Fordham University Press
* To Be Self-Evident, R.L.Hogan, Libertas Press
* You Will Die, Robert R. Arthur, Suburra Publishing