The Aventis Prizes for Science Books
The Royal Society Science Books Prize is an annual £25,000 prize celebrating outstanding popular science books from around the world. It is open to authors of science books written for a non-specialist audience, and over the decades has championed writers such as Stephen Hawking, Jared Diamond, Stephen Jay Gould and Bill Bryson.
The Royal Society Science Books Prize was originally established as the "Science Books Prize" in 1988 with the aim of encouraging the writing, publishing and reading of good and accessible popular science books. From 1990-2000 it was known as the "Rhône-Poulenc Prize for Science Books", from 2001-2006 as the "Aventis Prize for Science Books", from 2007-2010 as the "Royal Society Prize for Science Books", and from 2010-2015 as the "Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books". In 2016, investment management company Insight Investment sponsored the prize in a three-year deal, and the prize became known as the "Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize".
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 include 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. 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 in September and receives £25,000. Each of the other shortlisted authors receives £2,500 each.
Each year's shortlist appears below. A blue ribbon (
) appears against the winner.
The shortlist was announced on August 4, 2016, and the winner on September 19, 2016.
The shortlist was announced on August 5, 2015, and the winner on September 24, 2015.
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