FAQ

1. Why does the Wellcome Trust have 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 does the Wellcome Trust have 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 period (usually 12 months). This year books published between 1 October 2012 until 31 December 2013 will be eligible. An independent panel of judges is responsible for compiling a shortlist of books and eventually choosing a winner.

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. 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?

Books (or manuscripts) are submitted by UK publishers using our entry form [PDF 72KB]. Each publisher or imprint is allowed to submit three books. The deadline for submission forms is 28 June 2013 and six copies of the final text must be submitted by 27 September 2013. Each submission must be accompanied by a copy of the submission form.

If finished copies are not available by the submission deadline, 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 shortlist will be announced in February 2014 and the winner in April 2014.