Rules and entry
Important information for publishers.
Exciting plans for the fifth Wellcome Trust Book Prize are currently being finalised. Key dates are still to be announced. Check back here for announcements over the next few weeks.
Key dates for the next Prize
28 June 2013: Submission form deadline
27 September 2013: Final text deadline
February 2014: Shortlist announced
April 2014: Winner announced
Eligibility and entry
Submitted books, in English or English translation, must be published by a UK-based publisher between 1 October 2012 and 31 December 2013. 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 or 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.
Each publisher (or imprint) will be allowed to submit three books scheduled for publication within the specified period. The deadline for entry forms is 28 June 2013. Six copies of each entry must be submitted and accompanied by a completed entry form. If finished copies are not available by 28 June 2013, bound proofs may be submitted in the first instance 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. Final texts must be submitted by 27 September 2013.
Four judges and one chair will be selected. As a group, the judges and chair will decide on a shortlist of six books to be announced in February 2014 and then a winner in April 2014. For further detail refer to our terms and conditions [PDF 212KB].
Entry form
Download our entry form [PDF 72KB]