Royal Society Science Book Prize

The Royal Society Science Book Prize is an annual £25,000 prize awarded by the Royal Society to celebrate outstanding popular science books from around the world.<ref name=prize/> 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".<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>

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 – 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<ref name="bookseller.com">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2023 –	Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize	Trivedi 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.<ref name="bookseller.com"/> In 2019, the jury consisted of Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Shukry James Habib, Dorothy Koomson, Stephen McGann, and Gwyneth Williams.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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, Template:As of, receives £25,000. Each of the other shortlisted authors receives £2,500.<ref name=prize>Template:Cite web</ref>

Shortlisted books

1988–2000

Royal Society Prizes for Science Books winners, 1988-2000<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Year	Author	Title	Result
1988	British Medical Association Board of Science	Living with Risk	Winner
1989	Template:Sortname	Bones of Contention: Controversies in the Search for Human Origins	Winner
1990	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner
1991	Template:Sortname	Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History	Winner
1992	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
1993	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner
1994	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner
1995	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner
1996	Template:Sortname	Plague's Progress	Winner
1997	Template:Sortname and Pat Shipman	Template:Sortname	Winner
1998	Template:Sortname	Guns, Germs, and Steel	Winner<ref name=":2" />
1999	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner

2000–2010

Royal Society Prizes for Science Books winners, 2000-2009<ref name=":1" />

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2000	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Genome
	Template:Sortname	Time, Love, Memory: A Great Biologist and His Quest for the Origins of Behavior
	Template:Sortname	Children of Prometheus
2001	Template:Sortname	Mapping the Deep	Winner
	Template:Sortname	Creation: Life and How to Make It	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	Strange Beauty
	Template:Sortname	Mendel's Demon
	Template:Sortname	Mendeleyev's Dream
	Template:Sortname	Malignant Sadness
2002	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Aeons:The Search for the Beginning of Time	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Rivals: Conflict as the Fuel of Science
2003	Template:Sortname	Right Hand, Left Hand	Winner
	Template:Sortname	Small World	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	Reckoning With Risk
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Where Is Everybody?
2004	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	In The Beginning Was the Worm	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	Magic Universe
	Template:Sortname	Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body
	Template:Sortname and Richard Hollingham	How to Clone the Perfect Blonde
	Template:Sortname	Nature Via Nurture
	Template:Sortname	Backroom Boys
2005	Template:Sortname	Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another	Winner
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	Why Life Speeds Up As You Get Older
	Template:Sortname	Matters Of Substance: Drugs - And Why Everyone's A User
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
2006	Template:Sortname	Electric Universe: How Electricity Switched on the Modern World	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or SucceedTemplate:Note	Finalist	<ref name=":2" />
	Template:Sortname	Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and our Future in the Cosmos
	Template:Sortname	Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life
	Template:Sortname	Empire of the Stars: Friendship, Obsession and Betrayal in the Quest for Black Holes
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
2007Template:Note	Template:Sortname	Stumbling on Happiness	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	In Search of Memory
	Template:Sortname	Lonesome George
	Template:Sortname	Homo Britannicus
	Template:Sortname	One in Three
2008	Template:Sortname	Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	Gut Feelings
	Template:Sortname	Coral: A Pessimist in Paradise
	Template:Sortname	Why Beauty is Truth: A History of Symmetry
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
2009	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner	<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	What the Nose Knows	Finalist	<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Bad Science		<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
	Template:Sortname	Decoding the Heavens		<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname		<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
	Template:Sortname	Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body		<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
2010	Template:Sortname	Life Ascending	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	We Need To Talk About Kelvin	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname and Jeff Forshaw	Why Does E=mc2?		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Everyday Practice of Science: Where Intuition and Passion Meet Objectivity and Logic		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2011–2019

Royal Society Prizes for Science Books winners, 2010-2019<ref name=":1" />

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2011	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Alex's Adventures in Numberland	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Through the Language Glass: How Words Colour Your World		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2012	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Moonwalking with Einstein	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	My Beautiful Genome		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2013	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Bird Sense	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Cells to Civilizations: The Principles of Change That Shape Life		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":5" />
	Template:Sortname	Pieces of Light: The New Science of Memory		<ref name=":5" />
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":5" />
	Template:Sortname	Ocean of Life		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":5" />
2014	Template:Sortname	Stuff Matters: The Strange Stories of the Marvellous Materials that Shape Our Man-made World	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Serving the Reich: The Struggle for the Soul of Physics under Hitler	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Seven Elements That Have Changed The World: Iron, Carbon, Gold, Silver, Uranium, Titanium, Silicon		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":6" />
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":6" />
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname		<ref name=":6" />
	Template:Sortname	Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":6" />
2015	Template:Sortname	Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made	Winner	<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Alex Through the Looking-Glass: How Life Reflects Numbers and Numbers Reflect Life
	Template:Sortname	Smashing Physics
	Template:Sortname	Life's Greatest Secret
	Template:Sortname and Jim Al-Khalili	Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology
2016	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind over Body
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
2017	Template:Sortname	Testosterone Rex: Unmaking the Myths of Our Gendered Minds	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Beyond Infinity: An Expedition to the Outer Limits of the Mathematical Universe	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life
	Template:Sortname	In Pursuit of Memory: The Fight Against Alzheimer's
	Template:Sortname	To Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death
	Template:Sortname	I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
2018	Template:Sortname	Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain	Winner	<ref name=cain>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist	<ref name=cain/>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine
	Template:Sortname	Liquid: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives
	Template:Sortname	Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
2019	Template:Sortname	Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=flood>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Six Impossible Things	Finalist	<ref name=flood/>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Clearing the Air
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Infinite Powers

Since 2020

Royal Society Prizes for Science Books winners, 2020–present<ref name=":1" />

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2020	Template:Sortname	Explaining Humans	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=insight>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist	<ref name=insight/>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Transcendence
2021	Template:Sortname	Entangled Life	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist
	Template:Sortname	Breath
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname
	Template:Sortname	Science Fictions
2022	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sortname	Finalist	<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Different: What Apes Can Teach Us About Gender
	Template:Sortname with Anjana Ahuja	Spike: The Virus vs. The People – the Inside Story
	Template:Sortname	Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life
	Template:Sortname	Hot Air: The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change Denial
2023	Template:Sortname	Template:Sort	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname	Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way)	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Sortname, trans. by Elizabeth de Noma	Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature's Secrets to Longevity
	Template:Sortname	Taking Flight: The Evolutionary Story of Life on the Wing
	Template:Sortname	Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus
	Template:Sortname	Template:Sort
2024	Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith	A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?	Winner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Cat Bohannon	Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Tom Chivers	Everything Is Predictable: How Bayes' Remarkable Theorem Explains the World
	Kashmir Hill	Your Face Belongs to Us: The Secretive Startup Dismantling Your Privacy
	Gísli Pálsson	The Last of Its Kind: The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction
	Venki Ramakrishnan	Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality
2025	Masud Husain	Our Brains, Our Selves: What a Neurologist's Patients Taught Him About the Brain	Winner	<ref>https://royalsociety.org/news/2025/10/science-book-prize-winner-announced/</ref>
	Neil Shubin	Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and our Future	Finalist	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Daniel Levitin	Music as Medicine: How We Can Harness Its Therapeutic Power
	Simon Parkin	The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad: A True Story of Science and Sacrifice in a City under Siege
	Sadiah Qureshi	Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction
	Tim Minshall	Your Life is Manufactured: How We Make Things, Why It Matters and How We Can Do It Better

External links

• The Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize
• Royal Society Prize at lovethebook Template:Webarchive