Samuel Johnson Prize
| The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Excellence in non-fiction writing |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Reward(s) | £30,000 |
| First awarded | 1999 |
| Currently held by | Neurotribes by Steve Silberman |
| Official website | thebailliegiffordprize |
The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction (formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize) is an annual British prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award and based on an anonymous donation. With its motto "All the best stories are true", the prize covers current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. The competition is open to authors of any nationality whose work is published in the UK in English.
The prize was originally named after the English 18th-century author and lexicographer Samuel Johnson. From its inception until 2008 it was named in full the BBC FOUR Samuel Johnson Prize and managed by BBC Four. In 2009 it was renamed as BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction and managed by BBC Two. The new name reflected the BBC's commitment to broadcasting coverage of the Prize on BBC 2, The Culture Show. In 2016 the name was changed once more to the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, after its new primary sponsor, the Edinburgh-based investment management company Baillie Gifford. It continues to be administered by the Board of the not-for-profit company, The Samuel Johnson Prize Limited.
Prior to the 2009 name change, the monetary prize amount was £30,000 for the winner, and each finalist received £2500. After 2009 the monetary prize was £20,000 for the winner, and each finalist received £1000. In February 2012, the steering committee for the prize announced that a new sponsor had been found for the prize, an anonymous philanthropist, and that the prize was to be raised to £25,000. In 2015, funding for the prize was arranged by the Blavatnik Family foundation, while the organisers sought new sponsors from 2016 onwards. In 2016, under new sponsors Baillie Gifford, the prize money was restored to £30,000 for the winner.
The prize considers itself to be among the most prestigious, in the non-fiction category in the UK.
The winner, announced on 15 November 2016, was Philippe Sands' East West Street.
The longlist was announced on 21 September and the shortlist was announced 17 October.
Shortlist
Judges
The 2016 judging panel is chaired by former BBC Economics Editor Stephanie Flanders, together with Philip Ball, science writer and author; Jonathan Derbyshire, executive comment editor of the Financial Times; Dr Sophie Ratcliffe, scholar, writer and literary critic and Rohan Silva, co-founder of the social enterprise, Second Home.
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