The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. 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.[1] The longlist, shortlist and winner is chosen by a panel of independent judges, which changes every year. Formerly named after English author and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, the award was renamed in 2015 after Baillie Gifford, an investment management firm and the primary sponsor. Since 2016, the annual dinner and awards ceremony has been sponsored by the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
The prize is governed by the Board of Directors of The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction Limited, a not-for-profit company. Since 2018, the Chair of the Board has been Sir Peter Bazalgette, who succeeded Stuart Proffitt, the chair since 1999. In 2015, Toby Mundy was appointed as the Prize's first director.[2]
History
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Prior to the establishment of the Samuel Johnson Prize, Britain's premier literary award for non-fiction was the NCR Book Award, which had been established in 1987.[3] In 1997, the NCR Award experienced a scandal when it was revealed the judges, many of them chosen for their popularity rather than literary qualities, had used "ghost readers" and were not expected to read the books they voted on.[4] Because of this and other problems the award ceased operations.[4] In response, one of the previous winners of NCR Award, the historian Peter Hennessy, approached Stuart Proffitt, a Publishing Director at Penguin Press, with the idea for a new award. An anonymous benefactor was found who funded the establishment of the Prize,[3] which was named after the English 18th-century author and lexicographer Samuel Johnson.
From its inception until 2001, the prize was independently financed by the founding benefactor.[3] In 2002, it was taken over by the BBC and re-named the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize and managed by BBC Four.[3] In 2009, the name was amended to the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction[5] and managed by BBC Two. The new name reflected the BBC's commitment to broadcasting coverage of the Prize on the BBC2 programme, The Culture Show.[5] In 2016, the name was changed to the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, after its new primary sponsor, the Edinburgh-based investment management company Baillie Gifford.[6]
Prior to the 2009 name change, the winner received £30,000, and each finalist received £2,500. After 2009, the award was £20,000 for the winner, and each finalist received £1,000.[5] In February 2012, the steering committee for the prize announced that a new sponsor had been found for the prize, an anonymous philanthropist, enabling the prize money to be raised to £25,000.[7] In 2015, funding for the prize was arranged by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, while the organisers sought new primary sponsors from 2016 onwards.[8]
In 2016, under new sponsors Baillie Gifford, the prize money was restored to £30,000 for the winner.
In 2019, following the announcement that Baillie Gifford will sponsor the award until at least 2026, the prize money was increased to £50,000.[9]
It is widely recognised as the UK's most prestigious award for non-fiction authors.[10]
Winners and shortlists
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1990s
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1990s Baillie Gifford Prize winners and shortlists
In 2023, marking the 25th anniversary of the prize, a one-off 'Winner of Winners' Award was announced.[74] The judging panel was chaired by Jason Cowley (New Statesman editor-in-chief) and included Shahidha Bari (academic, critic and broadcaster), Sarah Churchwell (journalist, author and academic), and Frances Wilson (biographer and critic).[74]
^2009 was the first year as BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. The judges announced the winner of the prize at an awards event at King's Place, London on 30 June. The monetary prize for 2009 was £20,000 for the winner, and each finalist receives £1000. The 2009 judges were Mark Lythgoe, Tim Marlow, Munira Mirza, Sarah Sands, Jacob Weisberg.
^The 2014 judging panel was chaired by author and historian Claire Tomalin, accompanied by Alan Johnson MP, Financial Times Books Editor Lorien Kite, philosopher Ray Monk and historian Ruth Scurr.
^The 2015 judging panel was chaired by Pulitzer prize-winning historian and journalist Anne Applebaum, together with editor of Intelligent Life Emma Duncan, editor of New Scientist Sumit Paul-Choudhury, Director of China Centre at Oxford University Professor Rana Mitter and former Controller of Film and Drama and Head of Film 4Tessa Ross.
^2016 was the first year as Baillie Gifford Prize. The 2016 judging panel was 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.
^"About the prize". Samuel Johnson Prize. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. The UK's most Prestigious non-fiction award
^"Directors". The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
^ abcdBeevor, Antony (29 June 2008). "The BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abMcCrum, Robert (16 June 2001). "A life of the Samuel Johnson Prize". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abc"The 2009 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction". Samuel Johnson Prize. 17 April 2009. Archived from the original on 1 April 2010.
^Douglas, James (23 May 2016). "Samuel Johnson Prize sets sights globally under new sponsorship deal". The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
^"The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction announces a new sponsor". Samuel Johnson Prize. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012.
^"Samuel Johnson seeks a new sponsor". London Evening Standard. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
^"Increase in prize money to £50,000 and 2019 judges have been announced". The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
^Flood, Alison (14 May 2009). "Science dominates Samuel Johnson prize longlist". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018. ..the UK's most prestigious non-fiction award..
^ abcdefgh"Previous Winners of the Samuel Johnson Prize". BBC Four. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008.
^ abcde"The Samuel Johnson Prize 1999". The Samuel Johnson Prize. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abcde"The Samuel Johnson Prize 2000". The Samuel Johnson Prize. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abcdeGibbon, Fiachra (23 May 2001). "Trilobites edge Amis out of running for Samuel Johnson award". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abcdeBranigan, Tania (6 June 2002). "Six writers shortlisted for £30,000 award". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abcdeEzard, John (2 May 2003). "Sex manual for the birds and bees - and flies - is up for prize". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abcde"The Samuel Johnson Prize 2004". The Samuel Johnson Prize. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abcdePauli, Michelle (12 May 2005). "First-timers triumph on Samuel Johnson shortlist". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abcdeEzard, John (24 May 2006). "Bestselling Bennett heads prize shortlist". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^"2007 Winner Announced". Samuel Johnson Prize. 18 June 2007. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008.
^ abcde"BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize Longlist". BBC Four. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008.
^"2008 Winner Announced". Samuel Johnson Prize. 15 July 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012.
^ abcde"2008 Shortlist Announced". Samuel Johnson Prize. 15 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^"'Leviathan, or The Whale' by Philip Hoare wins £20,000 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize". The Samuel Johnson Prize. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^"Awards: Baillie Gifford Nonfiction". Shelf Awareness . 17 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcde"Science and Exploration Dominate Samuel Johnson Prize Shortlist". thesamueljohnsonprize.co.uk. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^"Gripping account of an Orwellian Society wins £20,000 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize 2010 for non-fiction". The Samuel Johnson Prize. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abcde"From Angling to Angles, BBC Samuel Johnson Shortlist Defies Simplistic Categorisation". Samuel Johnson Prize. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012.
^Flood, Alison (6 July 2011). "Samuel Johnson prize won by 'hugely important' study of Mao". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^ abcde"2011 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize For Non-fiction Shortlist announced". Samuel Johnson Prize. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012.
^Flood, Alison (12 November 2012). "Into the Silence author Wade Davis wins Samuel Johnson award". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
^ abcdeFlood, Alison (5 October 2012). "Six books to 'change our view of the world' on shortlist for non-fiction prize". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
^Brown, Mark (4 November 2013). "Biography of Italian fascist wins Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
^ abcdeHiggins, Charlotte (30 September 2013). "Samuel Johnson prize 2013 shortlist – in pictures". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
^Clark, Nick (5 November 2014). "Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction: Helen Macdonald wins with 'H is for Hawk'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
^Lefferts, Daniel (29 May 2020). "In 'Vesper Flights,' Helen Macdonald Gets Topical". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcdeFlood, Alison (8 October 2014). "Samuel Johnson prize 2014 shortlist: two memoirs are among the 'uplifting' and 'compelling' finalists". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
^"'Gripping' autism book wins Samuel Johnson prize". BBC News Online. 2 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
^ abcde"The 2015 Shortlist". The Samuel Johnson Prize. 11 October 2015. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016.
^Flood, Alison; Cain, Sian (15 November 2016). "Philippe Sands wins the 2016 Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^ abcKennedy, Maev (16 October 2016). "First-hand reporting dominates Baillie Gifford shortlist". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ abc"Awards: Baillie Gifford; Aussie P.M.'s Literary". Shelf Awareness . 20 October 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^"How to Survive a Plague wins The Baillie Gifford Prize 2017". Baillie Gifford Prize. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
^"Awards: Baillie Gifford Nonfiction; Bad Sex in Fiction". Shelf Awareness. 27 November 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcde"The Baillie Gifford Prize 2017 announces shortlist". Baillie Gifford Prize. 6 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
^ abcde"Awards: Baillie Gifford Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 10 October 2017. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^"Serhii Plokhy's Chernobyl wins The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, 2018". Baillie Gifford Prize. 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
^"Awards: Baillie Gifford Nonfiction Winner". Shelf Awareness. 21 November 2018. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcde"The Baillie Gifford Prize 2018 announces shortlist". Baillie Gifford Prize. 2 October 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
^Flood, Alison (19 November 2019). "Baillie Gifford prize won by Jack the Ripper study 'reclaiming victims' voices'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
^"Awards: Foyles Winners; Baillie Gifford Nonfiction Winner; Grammy Nominees". Shelf Awareness. 21 November 2019. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcde"Shortlist announced for The Baillie Gifford Prize 2019". Baillie Gifford Prize. 22 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
^ abcde"Awards: Baillie Gifford Shortlist; Readings Fiction Winner". Shelf Awareness. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcde"The Baillie Gifford Prize 2020 shortlist announced". The Baillie Gifford Prize. 15 October 2020. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^ abcde"Awards: Baillie Gifford Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcdeWinik, Marion (16 October 2020). "Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist Announced". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^Flood, Alison (16 November 2021). "Baillie Gifford prize goes to 'controlled fury' of Empire of Pain". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
^"Awards: Baillie Gifford Non-Fiction Winner". Shelf Awareness. 18 November 2021. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^Schaub, Michael (17 November 2021). "Patrick Radden Keefe Wins Baillie Gifford Prize". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcde"The Baillie Gifford Prize 2021 shortlist announced". The Baillie Gifford Prize. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
^ abcde"Awards: German Book Prize Winner; Baillie Gifford Nonfiction Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^Lawless, Jill (18 November 2022). "Biography of poet John Donne wins UK nonfiction book prize". Associated Press News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
^"Awards: Baillie Gifford, Ernest J. Gaines, National Outdoor Book Winners". Shelf Awareness. 21 November 2022. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^Schaub, Michael (18 November 2022). "Baillie Gifford Nonfiction Winner Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcdeSchaub, Michael (11 October 2022). "Finalists for Baillie Gifford Prize Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
^ abcdeMerlene, Kate (11 October 2022). "The 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist Is Announced". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
^ abcde"Awards: American Literary Translators Winners; Baillie Gifford Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 11 October 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcdefCreamer, Ella (8 October 2023). "Music, history and courageous journalism: Baillie Gifford prize shortlist announced". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
^"Fire Weather". The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
^"Awards: Baillie Gifford Non-Fiction, National Outdoor Book Winners". Shelf Awareness. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^"Flanagan wins 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction". Books+Publishing. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ abcdeCreamer, Ella (10 October 2024). "Nuclear war rehearsal and Gauguin biography make shortlist for Baillie Gifford prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
^ abcde"A chilling nonfiction thriller about nuclear war is up for the UK's Baillie Gifford book prize". ABC News. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
^ ab"2023 The 25th anniversary prize". Baillie Gifford Prize. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
^Shaffi, Sarah (27 April 2023). "James Shapiro wins Baillie Gifford anniversary prize with 'extraordinary' Shakespeare biography 1599". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
^"James Shapiro's 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare wins…". Baillie Gifford Prize. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
^ abcde"The Prize Announces its Winner of Winners Award Shortlist". Baillie Gifford Prize. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ abcdeSchaub, Michael (9 March 2023). "Special Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
External links
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Media related to Baillie Gifford Prize at Wikimedia Commons
Official website
Previous winners Samuel Johnson Prize (1999-2015) at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 March 2016)