Over the past 30 years, the prize has celebrated the best popular science writing from around the world. It has highlighted non-fiction books that shine a light on innovative and pioneering research in an accessible and engaging way. Previous winners have included books on themes such as, sensory experiences of animals, the evolution of life on earth and a fresh perspective on human behaviour and relationships.
This year, the judging panel, chaired by Professor John Hutchinson, Professor of Evolutionary Biomechanics at the RVC and Royal Society Fellow, includes Booker Prize-winning author and screenwriter, Eleanor Catton; New Scientist Comment and Culture Editor, Alison Flood; teacher, broadcaster and writer Bobby Seagull; and lecturer in Functional Materials at Imperial College London, and Royal Society University Research Fellow, Dr Jess Wade.
Together, the judges will consider the six shortlisted titles, which were selected from 254 submissions published between 1 July 2023 and 30 September 2024, to determine the most captivating title which has helped shape our understanding of scientific innovation and culture.
Professor John Hutchinson, Professor of Evolutionary Biomechanics at the RVC, Royal Society Fellow and chair of judges, said:
"It is a pleasure to serve as Judging Panel Chair for the esteemed 2024 Royal Society Science Book Prize. When I was a young person, I immensely benefitted from my public and school libraries’ stocks of science books, which kindled and maintained my interest in science and nature. I won’t forget how Rachel Carson’s "Silent Spring" woke me up, at about 12 years of age, to environmentalism, which remains a passion. During my undergraduate years, palaeontologist Stephen Jay Gould’s popular science books convinced me that I wanted to pursue a career studying evolutionary patterns and processes.
"Now we live in an age when 250-word social media posts have the potency to reach the world instantly, but books maintain their staying power in reinforcing and disseminating what information is the most reliable. Deciding the best science books of the year is a wonderful challenge, a pleasure and an opportunity to be part of this process and thereby to support the communication of science."
Ashok Trivedi, President of the Trivedi Family Foundation, said:
"Science books have the ability to inspire and help us better understand the world we live in. We can discover new ideas but also challenge what we already know through science writing. It is a pleasure to continue supporting this prestigious Prize and celebrate authors who bring passion and creativity into their work."The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Royal Society on 24 October and will receive a cheque for £25,000. Each of the five shortlisted authors will also be awarded £2,500.
