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Authors Dorothy Koomson and Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt will judge the £25,000 Royal Society Book Prize alongside Dr Shukry James Habib, Stephen McGann and Gwyneth Williams.
The Prize – which celebrates the very best in popular science writing from around the world – will be chaired in 2019 by Shadbolt, computer scientist and author of The Digital Ape (Scribe).
Shadbolt, said: “It is a privilege to be chairing the judging panel for the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2019. The prize celebrates great writing about science and the scientists who make it happen. There has never been a more exciting time for popular and accessible science writing. There is a huge appetite for books across all topics of science and writers who can explain and inspire, entertain and inform. Despite the distemper of the times, and claims we live in a post-truth age, there is a real hunger for books that explain our scientific understanding of world around us. There is huge interest in the triumphs and tribulations of science and the human stories behind the scientific endeavour..”
Habib, stem cell specialist and Royal Society University Research Fellow; bestselling author, Koomson; actor and science communicator, McGann and Williams, controller of BBC Radio 4 and 4 Extra, make up the panel.
The Prize aims to promote the accessibility and joy of popular science books, and this year’s judging panel will be looking for books that appeal to a broad readership as well as offering interesting narratives and excellent prose: from curious consumers eager to read new perspectives on the world around them to those with an established interest in science writing.
A shortlist of six titles will be announced on Tuesday 27th August. The winner of the 2019 Prize will be announced at an awards ceremony at The Royal Society on Monday 23rd September, hosted by Professor Brian Cox. The winner will receive a cheque for £25,000, with £2,500 awarded to each of the five shortlisted authors.