More information
The Royal Society Young People's Book Prize aims to inspire young people to read about science and promotes the writing of excellent, accessible books for under-14s.
How does it work?
An expert adult judging panel meet in the summer of each year to choose a shortlist of their favourite science books written in the previous year. Once the six best books have been selected we hand over the task of picking a winner to those who know best – groups of young people aged up to 14 across the UK.
These groups can be formed anywhere, from schools and libraries to youth groups, or science centres. Participation is open to any group under 14 who are able to read and discuss the shortlist and vote for what they think is the best book.
Each group taking part mirrors the adult shortlisting panel, forming their own judging panel. They elect their own Chair, hold judging meetings, discuss the merits of each book and submit their votes and comments to us to collate and determine the winner. All participating groups have an equal say in deciding the winner. Each group receives a judging pack with all the information they need to take part. The results from all the groups are then collated by us to determine the winner.
Prize timeline
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| February | Call for publisher entries opens |
| April | Call for publisher entries closes |
| June | Shortlisting panel meeting |
| September | Call for judging panels opens |
| November |
Shortlist announced |
|
November-February |
Judging panels judge the books |
| 9 February | Deadline for judging panels decisions and video competition submissions |
| March |
Winner announced at the Young People's Book Prize award ceremony |
What else goes on?
Alongside the prize we:
- Provide two resources linked to each book so that they can be used both in a classroom setting and independently by students in their own homes. Aimed primarily at KS2, the resources support the science, mathematics and computing curricula at primary level. The resources may also be useful for some KS3 students.
- Run a video competition for all the judging panels involved. Take at look at some of the highlights of the 2022 competition.
Enquiries
We have specific information for publishers and school/youth groups looking to get involved with the Young People's Book Prize.
For all queries, contact us at sciencebooks@royalsociety.org. We are always exploring new ideas, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.