Royal Society Prizes for Science Books facts for kids
The Royal Society Science Books Prize is a special award given every year to amazing science books from all over the world. It celebrates books that make science easy and fun to understand for everyone, not just scientists. The prize is worth £25,000! Many famous writers like Stephen Hawking and Bill Bryson have won this award. People often say it's the most important science book prize in Britain.
A Look Back at the Science Book Prize
The Royal Society started this prize in 1988. Their goal was to encourage people to write, publish, and read great science books that are easy to understand. The prize has had different names over the years because of different sponsors.
| Years | Name of Prize | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 – 2000 | Rhône-Poulenc Prize for Science Books | Rhône-Poulenc |
| 2001 – 2006 | Aventis Prize for Science Books | Aventis |
| 2007 – 2010 | Royal Society Prize for Science Books | none |
| 2011 – 2015 | Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books | Winton Group |
| 2016 – 2022 | Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize | Insight Investment |
| 2023 – | Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize | Trivedi Foundation |
How Books are Chosen
Each year, a group of judges picks the books that make it to the "shortlist" (the final few choices) and then the overall winner. The head judge is always someone from the Royal Society. The panel also includes authors, scientists, and people from the media.
For example, in 2016, the judges included the author Bill Bryson and the science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds. In 2019, the jury included Sir Nigel Shadbolt.
All books entered for the prize must be published in English for the first time. They need to have come out between September and October of the year before the prize is given. The winner is announced at a special ceremony and receives £25,000. The other authors who make it to the shortlist each get £2,500.
Famous Winners and Great Science Books
Many amazing science books have won or been shortlisted for this prize over the years. These books help explain complex science ideas in ways that everyone can understand and enjoy.
Some well-known winners include:
- In 1991, Stephen Jay Gould won for Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History.
- Jared Diamond won in 1992 for The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee and again in 1998 for Guns, Germs, and Steel.
- Stephen Hawking won in 2002 for The Universe in a Nutshell.
- Bill Bryson won in 2004 for his popular book A Short History of Nearly Everything.
- In 2019, Caroline Criado Perez won for Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, which looked at how data often leaves out women.
- More recently, in 2021, Merlin Sheldrake won for Entangled Life, a book about fungi.
- In 2022, Henry Gee won for A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth.
These books cover many different science topics, from space and physics to biology and human history. They show how exciting and important science can be!
