Royal Society Prizes for Science Books explained

The Royal Society Science Books Prize is an annual £25,000 prize awarded by the Royal Society to celebrate outstanding popular science books from around the world.[1] It is open to authors of science books written for a non-specialist audience, and since it was established in 1988 has championed writers such as Stephen Hawking, Jared Diamond, Stephen Jay Gould and Bill Bryson. In 2015 The Guardian described the prize as "the most prestigious science book prize in Britain".[2]

History

The Royal Society established the Science Books Prize in 1988 with the aim of encouraging the writing, publishing and reading of good and accessible popular science books. Its name has varied according to sponsorship agreements.

!Years!Name!Sponsor
1990 – 2000Rhône-Poulenc Prize for Science BooksRhône-Poulenc
2001 – 2006Aventis Prize for Science BooksAventis
2007 – 2010Royal Society Prize for Science Booksnone
2011 – 2015Royal Society Winton Prize for Science BooksWinton Group
2016 – 2022Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book PrizeInsight Investment[3]
2023 –Royal Society Trivedi Science Book PrizeTrivedi Foundation

Judging process

A panel of judges decides the shortlist and the winner of the Prize each year. The panel is chaired by a fellow of the Royal Society and includes authors, scientists and media personalities. The judges for the 2016 prize included author Bill Bryson, theoretical physicist Dr Clare Burrage, science fiction author Alastair Reynolds, ornithologist and science blogger GrrlScientist, and author and director of external affairs at the Science Museum Group, Roger Highfield.[3] In 2019, the jury consisted of Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Shukry James Habib, Dorothy Koomson, Stephen McGann, and Gwyneth Williams.[4]

All books entered for the prize must be published in English for the first time between September and October the preceding year. The winner is announced at an award ceremony and receives £25,000. Each of the other shortlisted authors receives £2,500.[1]

Shortlisted books

Before 2000

Royal Society Prizes for Science Books winners, 1988-2000[5] !Year!Author!Title!Result
1988Living with RiskWinner
1989Bones of Contention: Controversies in the Search for Human OriginsWinner
1990Winner
1991Winner
1992Winner[6]
1993Winner
1994Winner
1995Winner
1996Plague’s ProgressWinner
1997 and Pat ShipmanWinner
1998Guns, Germs, and SteelWinner
1999Winner

2000s

Royal Society Prizes for Science Books winners, 2000-2009!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
2000Winner
Finalist
Genome
Children of Prometheus
2001Mapping the DeepWinner
Creation: Life and How to Make ItFinalist
Strange Beauty
Mendel's Demon
Mendeleyev's Dream
Malignant Sadness
2002Winner[7]
Aeons:The Search for the Beginning of TimeFinalist
Rivals: Conflict as the Fuel of Science
2003Right Hand, Left HandWinner
Small WorldFinalist
Reckoning With Risk
Where Is Everybody?
2004Winner[8]
In The Beginning Was the WormFinalist
Magic Universe
Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body
and Richard HollinghamHow to Clone the Perfect Blonde
Nature Via Nurture
Backroom Boys
2005Winner
Finalist
Why Life Speeds Up As You Get Older
Matters Of Substance: Drugs - And Why Everyone's A User
2006Electric Universe: How Electricity Switched on the Modern WorldWinner[9]
Finalist
Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and our Future in the Cosmos
Empire of the Stars: Friendship, Obsession and Betrayal in the Quest for Black Holes
2007Stumbling on HappinessWinner[10]
Finalist
In Search of Memory
Lonesome George
Homo Britannicus
One in Three
2008Winner[11]
Finalist
Gut Feelings
Coral: A Pessimist in Paradise
Why Beauty is Truth: A History of Symmetry
2009Winner[12]
What the Nose KnowsFinalist[13]
Bad Science
Decoding the Heavens
Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body
2010Life AscendingWinner[14] [15]
We Need To Talk About KelvinFinalist[16]
and Jeff ForshawWhy Does E=mc2?[17]
Everyday Practice of Science: Where Intuition and Passion Meet Objectivity and Logic[18]
[19]
[20]

2010s

Royal Society Prizes for Science Books winners, 2010-2019!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
2011Winner[21]
Alex’s Adventures in NumberlandFinalist[22]
Through the Language Glass: How Words Colour Your World[23]
Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science[24]
[25]
2012Winner[26] [27]
Moonwalking with EinsteinFinalist[28]
My Beautiful Genome[29]
[30]
[31]
2013Winner[32] [33]
Bird SenseFinalist[34] [35]
Cells to Civilizations: The Principles of Change That Shape Life[36]
Pieces of Light: The New Science of Memory
[37]
Ocean of Life[38]
2014Stuff Matters: The Strange Stories of the Marvellous Materials that Shape Our Man-made WorldWinner[39]
Serving the Reich: The Struggle for the Soul of Physics under HitlerFinalist[40] [41]
Seven Elements That Have Changed The World: Iron, Carbon, Gold, Silver, Uranium, Titanium, Silicon[42]
[43]
[44]
2015Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We MadeWinner[45]
Finalist[46]
Alex Through the Looking-Glass: How Life Reflects Numbers and Numbers Reflect Life
Smashing Physics
Life’s Greatest Secret
Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology
2016Winner[47] [48]
Finalist[49]
Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind over Body
2017Testosterone Rex

Unmaking the Myths of Our Gendered Minds

Winner[50] [51]
Beyond Infinity

An Expedition to the Outer Limits of the Mathematical Universe

Finalist[52]
Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life
In Pursuit of Memory: The Fight Against Alzheimer's
To Be a Machine

Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
2018Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage BrainWinner[53] [54]
Finalist[55]
Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine
Liquid: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives
Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
2019Winner[56] [57] [58]
Six Impossible ThingsFinalist[59]
Clearing the Air
Infinite Powers

2020s

Royal Society Prizes for Science Books winners, 2020-present!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
2020Explaining HumansWinner[60] [61] [62]
Finalist[63]
Transcendence
2021Entangled LifeWinner[64] [65]
Finalist
Breath
Science Fictions
2022Winner[66] [67]
Finalist[68] [69]
Different: What Apes Can Teach Us About Gender
Spike: The Virus vs. The People – the Inside Story
Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life
Hot Air: The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change Denial
2023Winner[70]
, trans. by Elizabeth de NomaJellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to LongevityFinalist[71]
Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way)
Taking Flight: The Evolutionary Story of Life on the Wing
Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus
2024Cat BohannonEve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human EvolutionFinalist[72]
Tom ChiversEverything Is Predictable: How Bayes’ Remarkable Theorem Explains the World
Kashmir HillYour Face Belongs to Us: The Secretive Startup Dismantling Your Privacy
Gísli PálssonThe Last of Its Kind: The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction
Venki RamakrishnanWhy We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality
Kelly Weinersmith and Zach WeinersmithA City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/book-prizes/science-books-prize/ The Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize, Royal Society
  2. News: Sample . Ian . 24 September 2015 . Top science book prize won by woman for first time . . London . 22 June 2016.
  3. Science Book Prize gets new sponsor. The Bookseller. London. Caroline. Carpenter. 17 June 2016. 22 June 2016.
  4. Web site: Judging panel 2019 . royalsociety.org . 7 August 2019.
  5. Web site: Past Winners & Shortlisted Books - Science Book Prize . 2022-12-03 . The Royal Society.
  6. Web site: Pauli . Michelle . 2006-04-13 . Diamond in the running for Aventis hat-trick . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  7. Web site: Ian . Sample . 2007-04-26 . Tale of a sexless tortoise shortlisted for science book prize . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  8. Web site: Alison . Flood . 2016-08-04 . Bill Bryson hails 'thrilling' Royal Society science book prize shortlist . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  9. Web site: Ian . Sample . Randerson . James . 2006-05-17 . Science book winner donates prize to David Kelly's family . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  10. Web site: Alok . Jha . 2007-05-15 . Search for happiness scoops science prize . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  11. Web site: Lindesay . Irvine . 2008-06-17 . Lynas's Six Degrees wins Royal Society award . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  12. Web site: 15 September 2009 . Prize for wonder of science past . 22 June 2016 . BBC.
  13. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2009-09-08 . Royal Society Science Book Prize: The shortlist . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  14. Web site: 21 October 2010 . Royal Society's science book prize will be the last . 22 June 2016 . BBC.
  15. Web site: Ian . Sample . 2010-10-21 . Nick Lane wins Royal Society science book prize for Life Ascending . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  16. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2010-10-13 . We Need to Talk about Kelvin by Marcus Chown – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  17. Web site: Alok . Jha . 2010-10-18 . Why Does E=mc2? by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  18. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2010-10-14 . Everyday Practice of Science by Frederick Grinnell – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  19. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2010-10-15 . God's Philosophers by James Hannam – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  20. Web site: Ian . Sample . 2010-10-20 . A World Without Ice by Henry Pollack – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  21. News: Connor . Steve . 18 November 2011 . Expert in idleness is surprise winner of science book prize . . 22 June 2016.
  22. Web site: Alok . Jha . 2011-11-09 . Alex's Adventures in Numberland by Alex Bellos – review Royal Society science book prize . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  23. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2011-11-08 . Through the Language Glass by Guy Deutscher – review Royal Society science book prize . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  24. Web site: Jon . Butterworth . 2011-11-07 . Massive: The Hunt for the God Particle by Ian Sample – review Royal Society science book prize . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  25. Web site: James . Kingsland . 2011-11-11 . The Rough Guide to the Future by Jon Turney – review Royal Society science book prize . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  26. News: Radford . Tim . 27 November 2012 . Royal Society Winton prize for science goes to James Gleick . The Guardian . London . 22 June 2016.
  27. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2012-11-27 . Royal Society Winton prize for science goes to James Gleick . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  28. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2012-11-21 . Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer – review Tim Radford . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  29. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2012-11-24 . My Beautiful Genome: exposing our genetic future, one quirk at a time – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  30. Web site: Ian . Sample . 2012-11-20 . The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene – book review Ian Sample . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  31. Web site: James . Kingsland . 2012-11-23 . The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe – book review James Kingsland . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  32. News: Bury . Liz . 26 November 2013 . Royal Society Winton Prize goes to 'rock star' science book . . London . 22 June 2016.
  33. Web site: Liz . Bury . 2013-11-26 . Royal Society Winton Prize goes to 'rock star' science book . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  34. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2013-11-21 . Bird Sense: What it's Like to be a Bird, by Tim Birkhead – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  35. News: 2013-09-26 . Royal Society Winton prize for science books: the shortlist - in pictures . en-GB . The Guardian . 2022-12-03 . 0261-3077.
  36. Web site: James . Kingsland . 2013-11-19 . Cells to Civilizations, by Enrico Coen – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  37. Web site: Alok . Jha . 2013-11-23 . The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, by Caspar Henderson – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  38. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2013-11-18 . Ocean of Life: How our Seas are Changing, by Callum Roberts – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  39. Web site: 10 November 2014 . Materials book wins Royal Society Winton Prize . 22 June 2016 . . London.
  40. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2014-11-03 . Royal Society books shortlist: Serving the Reich by Philip Ball – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  41. Web site: GrrlScientist . 2014-09-19 . Royal Society 2014 Winton Prize for Science Books shortlist announced . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  42. Web site: Ian . Sample . 2014-11-10 . Royal Society books shortlist: Seven Elements That Have Changed the World by John Browne – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  43. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2014-11-05 . Royal Society books shortlist: The Perfect Theory by Pedro G Ferreira – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  44. Web site: Nicola . Davis . 2014-11-06 . Royal Society books shortlist: Gulp by Mary Roach – review . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
  45. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2015-09-23 . Adventures in the Anthropocene by Gaia Vince – review . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  46. Web site: Tim . Radford . 2015-08-05 . Royal Society Winton prize 2015 shortlist announced . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  47. Web site: 19 September 2016 . The Royal Society announces Andrea Wulf as the winner of the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2016 . 2016-09-22 . The Royal Society.
  48. Web site: Allison . Flood . 2016-09-19 . Alexander von Humboldt biography wins Royal Society science book prize . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  49. Web site: Shortlist for The Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2016 unveiled . 2016-09-22 . royalsociety.org.
  50. Web site: Armitstead . Claire . 2017-09-19 . Testosterone Rex triumphs as Royal Society science book of the year . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  51. Web site: Shortlist for The Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2017 explores life’s big questions . 2017-09-03 . The Royal Society.
  52. Web site: Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize . 2017-09-19 . royalsociety.org.
  53. Web site: Cain . Sian . 2018-10-01 . Myth-busting study of teenage brains wins Royal Society prize . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  54. Web site: 2 August 2018 . Shortlist for The Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2018 revealed . 2017-08-05 . The Royal Society.
  55. News: Cain . Sian . 1 October 2018 . Myth-busting study of teenage brains wins Royal Society prize . en . The Guardian . 2 October 2018.
  56. Web site: Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2019 . 2019-08-27 . The Royal Society.
  57. Web site: Flood . Alison . 2019-09-23 . 'Brilliant exposé' of gender data gap wins Royal Society science book prize . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  58. Web site: Book on gender data gap wins Royal Society Science Book Prize 2019 - Times of India . 2022-12-03 . The Times of India . en.
  59. News: Flood . Alison . 23 September 2019 . 'Brilliant exposé' of gender data gap wins Royal Society science book prize . The Guardian . 23 September 2019.
  60. Web site: Flood . Alison . 2020-11-03 . Neurodivergent author Camilla Pang’s Explaining Humans wins Royal Society prize . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  61. Web site: 3 November 2020 . 2020 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize . 5 November 2020 . The Royal Society.
  62. Web site: 2020-11-03 . Winner of The Royal Society Science Book Prize revealed . 2022-12-03 . . en.
  63. Web site: Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2020 . 2020-09-24 . royalsociety.org.
  64. News: Bayley . Sian . 2021-11-29 . Sheldrake wins Royal Society Science Book Prize with 'illuminating' fungi book . . live . 2021-11-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115628/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/sheldrake-wins-royal-society-science-book-prize-illuminating-book-fungi-1291613 . 2021-11-30.
  65. Web site: Sheldrake wins 2021 Royal Society Science Book Prize Books+Publishing . 2022-12-03 . en-AU.
  66. Web site: 2022-11-30 . 'A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth' wins Royal Society Science Book Prize . 2022-12-01 . Books+Publishing . en-AU.
  67. Web site: Schaub . Michael . 2022-11-30 . Henry Gee Wins Royal Society Science Book Prize . 2022-12-09 . . en.
  68. Web site: Anderson . Porter . 2022-09-27 . Royal Society Science Book Prize Names Its 2022 Shortlist . 2022-12-03 . Publishing Perspectives . en-US.
  69. Web site: 27 September 2022 . Shortlist for 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize announced . 2022-11-02 . Royal Society.
  70. Web site: Schaub . Michael . 2023-11-26 . Winner of Science Book Prize Is Revealed . 2023-11-26 . . en.
  71. Web site: Schaub . Michael . 2023-09-29 . Royal Society Science Book Prize Reveals Finalists . 2023-09-30 . . en.
  72. Web site: Shortlist for 2024 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize announced Royal Society . 2024-08-13 . royalsociety.org . en.

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