Royal Society Prizes for Science Books
The Royal Society Prizes for Science Books is an annual award for the previous year's best general science writing and best science writing for children. The nominees and winners are decided by the Royal Society, the UK national academy of science. It is generally considered to be the most prestigious science writing award.[1]
The prizes were established in 1988 and were known as the Science Book Prizes until 1990 when they were sponsored by Rhône-Poulenc and became known as the Rhône-Poulenc Prizes for Science Books. Between 2000 and 2006, following the merger of Rhône-Poulenc with Hoechst AG to form Aventis, the prizes were renamed the Aventis Prizes for Science Books. From 2007 to 2010 the prizes were managed and sponsored by the Royal Society.[2] In February 2011 it was announced that Winton Capital Management agreed to a sponsorship deal for the following 5 years and the prizes were renamed as Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books and Royal Society Young People's Book Prize.[3]
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 long list 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.
Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books
This category is awarded to the best science writing for a non-specialist audience.
2011 Winner
Other nominees:
- Alex’s Adventures in Numberland, Alex Bellos
- Through the Language Glass: How Words Colour Your World, Guy Deutscher
- The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean
- Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science, Ian Sample
- The Rough Guide to The Future, Jon Turney
2010 Winner
Other nominees:
- A World Without Ice , Henry Pollack
- Everyday Practice of Science: Where Intuition and Passion Meet Objectivity and Logic, Frederick Grinnell
- God’s Philosophers: How the medieval world laid the foundations of modern science, James Hannam
- We Need To Talk About Kelvin, Marcus Chown
- Why Does E=mc2?, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw
2009 Winner
Other nominees:
2008 Winner
Other nominees:
2007 Winner
Other nominees:
This was the first year that the prizes were given by the Royal Society.
2006 Winner
- Electric Universe: How Electricity Switched on the Modern World by David Bodanis
Other nominees:
- 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 Succeed, 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.
2005 Winner
Other nominees:
2004 Winner
Other nominees:
2003 Winner
- Right Hand, Left Hand by Chris McManus
Other nominees:
2002 Winner
Other nominees:
2001 Winner
Other nominees:
2000 Winner
Other nominees:
Pre-2000 Winners
- (1999) The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, Paul Hoffman
- (1998) Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond
- (1997) The Wisdom of Bones, Alan Walker and Pat Shipman
- (1996) Plague’s Progress, Arno Karlen
- (1995) The Consumer’s Good Chemical Guide, John Emsley
- (1994) The Language of the Genes, Steve Jones
- (1993) The Making of Memory, Steven Rose
- (1992) The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee, Jared Diamond
- (1991) Wonderful Life, Stephen Jay Gould
- (1990) The Emperor's New Mind, Roger Penrose
- (1989) Bones of Contention, Roger Lewin
- (1988) Living with Risk, British Medical Association Board of Science
Royal Society Young People's Book Prize
This category is awarded to the best science writing for children.
2011 winner
Other nominees:
- The Icky Sticky Snot and Blood Book, Steve Alton and Nick Sharratt
- What's the Point of Being Green?, Jacqui Bailey
- How the World Works, Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Beverly Young
- What Mr Darwin Saw, Mick Manning and Brita Granström
- The Story of Astronomy and Space
- What Goes On In My Head, Robert Winston
2009 & 2010
The prize was not awarded in 2009 & 2010 due to funding issues.[7]
2008 winner
- Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do by Rebecca Gilpin & Leonie Pratt
The other nominees were:
2007 winner
The other nominees were:
- How Nearly Everything Was Invented by The Brainwaves devised and illustrated by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar, written by Jilly MacLeod
- It's True! Space Turns You Into Spaghetti by Heather Catchpole and Vanessa Woods
- KFK Natural Disasters by Andrew Langley
- My Body Book by Mick Manning and Brita Granström
- Science Investigations - Electricity by John Farndon
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
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
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
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
2002 Winner
- DK Guide to the Human Body, Richard Walker
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, Alastair Smith, Phillip Clarke & Corinne Henderson
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
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
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
References
- ^ Happiness wins science book prize BBC News, 15 May 2007
- ^ History of the science book prizes, The Royal Society
- ^ "Call for 2011 Entries" Royal Society Press release 16 February 2011
- ^ "Expert in idleness is surprise winner of science book prize", The Independent, 18 November 2011
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11595847 Royal Society's science book prize will be the last 21 October
- ^ BBC Science News Prize for wonder of science past
- ^ Royal Society:2009 Prizes
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