FAQ

1. Why has the Wellcome Trust launched a book prize?
2. How does the prize work?
3. Who is eligible for the prize?
4. What is the submission process?
5. How much is the prize worth?
6. Are books translated into English eligible for the prize?
7. When will the shortlist and winner be announced?

1. Why has the Wellcome Trust launched a book prize?

Books can reveal new worlds, transporting us to unknown places, different times or even into the minds and bodies of other people. Writing that engages with medicine - be it fiction or non-fiction - can be especially  powerful.

The Wellcome Trust Book Prize highlights the value literature can bring to medicine by recognising the outstanding books that change the way each of us understands health and disease. The Wellcome Trust aims to stimulate interest, excitement and debate about medicine and literature, reaching audiences not normally engaged with medical science.

2. How does the prize work?
Every year, £25 000 is awarded to an outstanding work of fiction or non-fiction that has been published in a given 12-month period (1 October of one year and 30 September of the next). An independent panel of judges is responsible for compiling a shortlist of six books, announced in October. A winner is selected from the shortlist and announced in November.

3. Who is eligible for the prize?

The Wellcome Trust Book Prize is the only book prize that could be awarded for titles as diverse as Ian McEwan's 'Saturday', Richard Dawkins' 'The Selfish Gene' and Jean-Dominique Bauby's 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'.

Submitted books, in English or English translation, must be published by a UK-based publisher during the prize year. Reissues, anthologies and self-published books are not eligible for the prize, and authors must be living at the time of submission.

Any book of fiction and non-fiction will be considered, so long as medicine or biomedical science is central to its theme. This can include a collection of short stories by the same author. Children's fiction may also be eligible, as long as the book is published by an adult imprint within the specified dates. The final decision as to whether or not a book is eligible for the prize rests with the judges.

4. What is the submission process?

Submission is effected via UK publishers, who are able to submit a book (or manuscript) via our online form. Each publisher is allowed to submit three books with scheduled publication dates between 1 October and 30 September. The deadline for submission forms is 15 April 2012. Each submission must be accompanied by a completed entry form. Final texts must be submitted by 30 June 2012.

If finished copies are not available by 15 April 2012, bound proofs may be submitted on condition that they are of good quality and that the content reflects that of the final book. If proofs are submitted, final copies should be sent in as soon as they are available. The judging panel will also have the right to call in books that have not been put forward.

5. How much is the prize worth?

A total of £25 000 is made available each year to be awarded to the winning author.

6. Are books translated into English eligible for the prize?

Books published in English translation are eligible, provided that the general eligibility criteria are met. In the event of a translated book winning, two-thirds of the prize money will be awarded to the author, and one-third to the translator.

7. When will the shortlist and winner be announced?

The 2012 shortlist will be announced in October 2012, and a winner will be announced in November 2012.