Baillie Gifford Prize

History

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. 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. 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, 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. 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. 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.

Prior to the 2009 name change, the winner received , and each finalist received . After 2009, the award was for the winner, and each finalist received . 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 . In 2015, funding for the prize was arranged by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, while the organisers sought new primary sponsors from 2016 onwards.

In 2016, under new sponsors Baillie Gifford, the prize money was restored to 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.

It is widely recognised as the UK's most prestigious award for non-fiction authors.

Winners and shortlists

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

25th Anniversary Winner of Winners Award

In 2023, marking the 25th anniversary of the prize, a one-off 'Winner of Winners' Award was announced. 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).

Notes

References

References

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7. (17 February 2012). "The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction announces a new sponsor". Samuel Johnson Prize.
8. (27 May 2015). "Samuel Johnson seeks a new sponsor". [[London Evening Standard]].
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11. "The Samuel Johnson Prize 1999". The Samuel Johnson Prize.
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13. "The Samuel Johnson Prize 2000". The Samuel Johnson Prize.
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15. Branigan, Tania. (6 June 2002). "Six writers shortlisted for £30,000 award". [[The Guardian]].
16. Ezard, John. (2 May 2003). "Sex manual for the birds and bees - and flies - is up for prize". [[The Guardian]].
17. "The Samuel Johnson Prize 2004". The Samuel Johnson Prize.
18. Pauli, Michelle. (12 May 2005). "First-timers triumph on Samuel Johnson shortlist". [[The Guardian]].
19. Ezard, John. (24 May 2006). "Bestselling Bennett heads prize shortlist". [[The Guardian]].
20. (18 June 2007). "2007 Winner Announced". Samuel Johnson Prize.
21. "BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize Longlist". [[BBC Four]].
22. (15 July 2008). "2008 Winner Announced". Samuel Johnson Prize.
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24. (2009-06-30). "'Leviathan, or The Whale' by Philip Hoare wins £20,000 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize".
25. (2016-11-17). "Awards: Baillie Gifford Nonfiction".
26. (May 22, 2009). "Science and Exploration Dominate Samuel Johnson Prize Shortlist". thesamueljohnsonprize.co.uk.
27. (July 1, 2010). "Gripping account of an Orwellian Society wins £20,000 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize 2010 for non-fiction".
28. "From Angling to Angles, BBC Samuel Johnson Shortlist Defies Simplistic Categorisation". Samuel Johnson Prize.
29. Flood, Alison. (6 July 2011). "Samuel Johnson prize won by 'hugely important' study of Mao". [[The Guardian]].
30. (14 June 2011). "2011 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize For Non-fiction Shortlist announced". Samuel Johnson Prize.
31. Flood, Alison. (12 November 2012). "Into the Silence author Wade Davis wins Samuel Johnson award". [[The Guardian]].
32. Flood, Alison. (5 October 2012). "Six books to 'change our view of the world' on shortlist for non-fiction prize". [[The Guardian]].
33. Brown, Mark. (4 November 2013). "Biography of Italian fascist wins Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction". The Guardian.
34. Higgins, Charlotte. (30 September 2013). "Samuel Johnson prize 2013 shortlist – in pictures". [[The Guardian]].
35. (5 November 2014). "Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction: Helen Macdonald wins with 'H is for Hawk'".
36. Lefferts, Daniel. (2020-05-29). "In 'Vesper Flights,' Helen Macdonald Gets Topical".
37. Flood, Alison. (8 October 2014). "Samuel Johnson prize 2014 shortlist: two memoirs are among the 'uplifting' and 'compelling' finalists". The Guardian.
38. (2 November 2015). "'Gripping' autism book wins Samuel Johnson prize". BBC News Online.
39. (11 October 2015). "The 2015 Shortlist". The Samuel Johnson Prize.
40. (2016-11-15). "Philippe Sands wins the 2016 Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction". [[The Guardian]].
41. Kennedy. (16 October 2016). "First-hand reporting dominates Baillie Gifford shortlist". [[The Guardian]].
42. (2016-10-20). "Awards: Baillie Gifford; Aussie P.M.'s Literary".
43. (16 November 2017). "How to Survive a Plague wins The Baillie Gifford Prize 2017". Baillie Gifford Prize.
44. (2017-11-27). "Awards: Baillie Gifford Nonfiction; Bad Sex in Fiction".
45. (6 October 2017). "The Baillie Gifford Prize 2017 announces shortlist". Baillie Gifford Prize.
46. (2017-10-10). "Awards: Baillie Gifford Shortlist".
47. (November 14, 2018). "Serhii Plokhy's Chernobyl wins The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, 2018". Baillie Gifford Prize.
48. (2018-11-21). "Awards: Baillie Gifford Nonfiction Winner".
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50. Flood, Alison. (2019-11-19). "Baillie Gifford prize won by Jack the Ripper study 'reclaiming victims' voices'". [[The Guardian]].
51. (2019-11-21). "Awards: Foyles Winners; Baillie Gifford Nonfiction Winner; Grammy Nominees".
52. (22 October 2019). "Shortlist announced for The Baillie Gifford Prize 2019". Baillie Gifford Prize.
53. (2019-10-23). "Awards: Baillie Gifford Shortlist; Readings Fiction Winner".
54. (2020-10-15). "The Baillie Gifford Prize 2020 shortlist announced".
55. (2020-10-29). "Awards: Baillie Gifford Shortlist".
56. Winik, Marion. (2020-10-16). "Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist Announced".
57. (16 November 2021). "Baillie Gifford prize goes to 'controlled fury' of Empire of Pain". [[The Guardian]].
58. (2021-11-18). "Awards: Baillie Gifford Non-Fiction Winner".
59. Schaub, Michael. (2021-11-17). "Patrick Radden Keefe Wins Baillie Gifford Prize".
60. "The Baillie Gifford Prize 2021 shortlist announced".
61. (2021-10-19). "Awards: German Book Prize Winner; Baillie Gifford Nonfiction Shortlist".
62. Lawless, Jill. (18 November 2022). "Biography of poet John Donne wins UK nonfiction book prize". Associated Press News.
63. (2022-11-21). "Awards: Baillie Gifford, Ernest J. Gaines, National Outdoor Book Winners".
64. Schaub, Michael. (2022-11-18). "Baillie Gifford Nonfiction Winner Revealed".
65. Schaub, Michael. (2022-10-11). "Finalists for Baillie Gifford Prize Are Revealed".
66. Merlene, Kate. (2022-10-11). "The 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist Is Announced".
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68. (2023). "Fire Weather".
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70. (8 October 2023). "Music, history and courageous journalism: Baillie Gifford prize shortlist announced".
71. (2024-11-20). "Flanagan wins 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction". Books+Publishing.
72. Creamer, Ella. (2024-10-10). "Nuclear war rehearsal and Gauguin biography make shortlist for Baillie Gifford prize". The Guardian.
73. (October 10, 2024). "A chilling nonfiction thriller about nuclear war is up for the UK's Baillie Gifford book prize".
74. (2025-11-05). "Garner wins Baillie Gifford". Books+Publishing.
75. (2025-10-07). "Garner shortlisted for Baillie Gifford Prize". Books+Publishing.
76. "2023 The 25th anniversary prize".
77. (27 April 2023). "James Shapiro wins Baillie Gifford anniversary prize with 'extraordinary' Shakespeare biography 1599". [[The Guardian]].
78. "James Shapiro's 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare wins…".
79. "The Prize Announces its Winner of Winners Award Shortlist".
80. Schaub, Michael. (2023-03-09). "Special Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist Revealed".