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, and is sometimes referred to as the Booker Prize of science writing[1].
The prizes were established in 1988 when they were sponsored by Rhône-Poulenc and known as the Rhône-Poulenc Prizes. Following the emerger of Rhône-Poulenc, from 2000 to 2006 they were sponsored by the Aventis Foundation, and were known as the Aventis Prizes for Science Books.
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.
General Prize
This category is awarded to the best science writing for a non-specialist audience.
2007 Prizes
The winner of the 2007 Royal Society Prizes for Science Books Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert.
The other nominees were:
- Homo Britannicus by Chris Stringer
- In Search of Memory by Eric R. Kandel
- Lonesome George by Henry Nicholls
- One in Three by Adam Wishart
- The Rough Guide to Climate Change by Robert Henson
2006 Prizes
The winner of the 2006 Aventis Prizes for Science Book 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 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 - the Royal Society are currently looking for a new sponsor.
2005 Winner
The Aventis Prizes for Science Book winner was announced on May 12, 2005:
- Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another, by Philip Ball ISBN 0-374-28125-4
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
2004 Winner
The Aventis Prizes for Science Book winner was announced on June 14 2004:
- A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
The other nominees for 2004 were:
- In The Beginning Was the Worm, Andrew Brown
- Magic Universe, Nigel Calder
- Mutants, Armand Marie Leroi
- Nature Via Nurture, Matt Ridley
- Backroom Boys, Francis Spufford
2003 Winner
- Right Hand, Left Hand, Chris McManus
Other nominees:
- Small World, Mark Buchanan
- Reckoning With Risk, Gerd Gigerenzer
- The Extravagant Universe, Robert P. Kirshner
- The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker
- Where Is Everybody?, Stephen Webb
2002 Winner
- The Universe in a Nutshell, Stephen Hawking
Other nominees:
- Aeons, Martin Gorst
- The Secret Life of Dust, Hannah Holmes
- The Madness of Adam and Eve: Did Schizophrenia Shape Humanity?, David Horrobin
- A Primate's Memoir, Robert M. Sapolsky
- Rivals, Michael White
2001 Winner
- Mapping the Deep, Robert Kunzig
Other nominees:
- Creation: Life and How to Make It, Steve Grand
- Strange Beauty, George Johnson
- Mendel's Demon, Mark Ridley
- Mendeleyev's Dream, Paul Strathern
- Malignant Sadness, Lewis Wolpert
2000 Winner
- The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene
Other nominees:
- The White Death, Thomas Dormandy
- A Brief History of the Future, John Naughton
- Genome, Matt Ridley
- Time, Love, Memory, Jonathan Weiner
- Children of Prometheus, Christopher Wills
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
Junior Prize
This category is awarded to the best science writing for children.
2007 winner
- Can you feel the force? by Richard Hammond
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
- What Makes Me, Me?, by Robert Winston
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
- Horrible Science: Really Rotten Experiments, Nick Arnold and Tony de Saulles
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
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