The Aventis Prizes for Science Books

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The Aventis Prizes for Science Books is an annual award for the previous year's best general science writing and best science writing for children, sponsored by the Aventis Foundation. The nominees and winners are decided by the Royal Society, the UK national academy of science. The prizes were established in 1988.

It is generally considered to be the most prestigious science writing award, and is sometimes referred to as the Booker Prize of science writing. It was formerly known as the Rhône-Poulenc Prizes.

Contents

[edit] Judging Process

Entries are open to any book published in English in the preceding calendar year, that can be purchased in the UK. Two judging panels, one for the General Prize (for best general science writing) and one for the Junior Prize (for best science writing for young people up to the age of 14) assess the entries and select a longlist of around 12 books and then a shortlist of six books. The General Prize panel then select the winner. The winner of the Junior Prize is selected by panels of school-age children (a total of 800 in 75 groups for the 2005 Prizes). The winner in each category receives £10,000. £1000 per book is awarded to the authors of the remaining shortlisted books.

[edit] General Prize

This category is awarded to the best science writing for a non-specialist audience.

[edit] 2006 Prizes

The winner of the 2006 Prize was announced on 16 May 2006.

  • Electric Universe - How Electricity Switched on the Modern World, by David Bodanis

The other nominees were:

  • Power, Sex, Suicide - Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life, by Nick Lane
  • Empire of the Stars - Friendship, Obsession and Betrayal in the Quest for Black Holes, by Arthur I Miller
  • Parallel Worlds - The Science of Alternative Universes and our Future in the Cosmos, by Michio Kaku
  • Collapse - How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, by Jared Diamond
  • The Truth About Hormones - What's Going on when We're Tetchy, Spotty, Fearful, Tearful or Just Plain Awful, by Vivienne Parry

It was Jared Diamond's third nomination for the prize, having won twice previously. The 2006 prize was the last one to be sponsored by the Aventis Foundation - the Royal Society are currently looking for a new sponsor.

[edit] 2005 Winner

The winner was announced on May 12, 2005:

The other nominees for 2005 were:

  • The Ancestor's Tale, by Richard Dawkins
  • Why Life Speeds Up As You Get Older, by Douwe Draaisma
  • Matters Of Substance: Drugs - And Why Everyone's A User, by Griffith Edwards
  • The Earth: An Intimate History, by Richard Fortey
  • The Human Mind, by Robert Winston

[edit] 2004 Winner

The winner was announced on June 14, 2004:

The other nominees for 2004 were:

[edit] 2003 Winner

  • Right Hand, Left Hand, Chris McManus

Other nominees:

[edit] 2002 Winner

Other nominees:

[edit] 2001 Winner

Other nominees:

[edit] 2000 Winner

Other nominees:

[edit] Pre-2000 Winners

[edit] Junior Prize

This category is awarded to the best science writing for children.

[edit] 2006 Winner

  • The Global Garden by Kate Petty, Jennie Maizels, Corina Fletcher

The other nominees were:

  • 100 Science Experiments by Georgina Andrews and Kate Knighton
  • Think of a Number by Johnny Ball
  • It's True! Squids Suck by Nicki Greenberg
  • Blame My Brain by Nicola Morgan
  • Kingfisher Knowledge: Forensics by Richard Platt

[edit] 2005 Winner

Other nominees for the Junior Prize:

  • Kingfisher Knowledge: Endangered Planet, by David Burnie
  • Mysteries And Marvels Of Science, by Phillip Clarke, Laura Howell, and Sarah Khan
  • Leap Through Time: Earthquake, by Nicholas Harris
  • Night Sky Atlas, by Robin Scagell
  • Kingfisher Knowledge: Microscopic Life, by Richard Walker

[edit] 2004 Winner

Other nominees:

  • The Beginning: Voyages Through Time, Peter Ackroyd
  • Riotous Robots, Mike Goldsmith
  • Start Science: Forces And Motion, Sally Hewitt
  • Tell Me: Who Lives in Space?, Clare Oliver
  • Survivors Science: In The Rainforest, Peter Riley

[edit] 2003 Winner

  • DK Guide to the Oceans, Frances Dipper

Other nominees:

  • Horrible Science: The Terrible Truth About Time, Nick Arnold
  • Get in Gear, Sholly Fisch
  • Leap Through Time: Dinosaur, Nicholas Harris
  • Why Can't I..? Series, Sally Hewitt
  • The Way Science Works, Robin Kerrod & Sharon Ann Holgate

[edit] 2002 Winner

Other nominees:

  • Life Finds its Feet, Jacqui Bailey
  • The Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia, David Burnie
  • Dead Famous: Albert Einstein and his Inflatable Universe, Mike Goldsmith
  • Mega Bites: Bugs, Christopher Maynard
  • The Usborne Internet-Linked Library of Science: Materials, Alistair Smith, Phillip Clarke & Corinne Henderson

[edit] 2001 Winner

  • DK Guide to Weather, Michael Allaby

Other nominees:

  • Horrible Science Series: Suffering Scientists, Nick Arnold
  • The Complete Book of the Brain, John Farndon
  • DK Guide to Dinosaurs, David Lambert
  • The At Home with Science Series, Janice Lobb & Peter Utton
  • Eyewitness Guides: Epidemics, Brian Ward

[edit] 2000 Winner

  • DK Guide to Space, Peter Bond

Other nominees:

  • Evolve or Die, Phil Gates
  • The History News, Michael Johnstone
  • The Kingfisher Book of Planet Earth, Martin Redfern
  • Brainwaves in the Bedroom, Richard Robinson
  • Usborne First Encyclopedia of our World, Felicity Brooks and Susannah Owen

[edit] Pre-2000 Winners

  • (1999) The Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope, Kirsteen Rogers
  • (1998) The Kingfisher Book of Oceans, David Lambert
  • (1997) Horrible Science Series: Blood Bones and Body Bits and Ugly Bugs, Nick Arnold
  • (1996) The World of Weather, Chris Maynard
  • (1995) The Most Amazing Pop-Up Science Book, Jay Young
  • (1994)
    • Eyewitness Guide: Evolution, Linda Gamlin
    • Science with Weather, Rebecca Heddle and Paul Shipton
    • The Ultimate Dinosaur Book, David Lambert
  • (1993) Mighty Microbes, Thompson Yardley
  • (1992) The Amazing Voyage of the Cucumber Sandwich, Peter Rowan
  • (1991) Cells Are Us and Cell Wars, Fran Balkwill and Mic Rolph
  • (1990)
    • (under-14) Starting Point Science Series: What Makes a Flower Grow?/What Makes it Rain?/What's Under the Ground?/Where Does Electricity Come From?, Susan Mayes
    • (under-8) The Giant Book of Space, Ian Ridpath
  • (1989) The Way Things Work, David Macaulay and Neil Ardley
  • (1988) Science Alive – Living Things, Roger Kerrod

[edit] External links

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