Rules and entry

Rules and entry form

PDF form [52KB]  Word form [152KB]

Key dates

The award will be made on a yearly basis. Submissions will be permissible for any book published between 1 October of one year and 30 September of the next. A shortlist of six books will then be announced at The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival in October, and a winner will be announced at a ceremony to be held at Wellcome Collection in early November.

1 October 2009 - Prize open for submissions
31 March 2010 - Closing date for submission forms
30 June 2010 - Closing date for submission of final manuscripts
7 October 2010 - Shortlist announced
November 2010 - Winner announced

Eligibility

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 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.

Submissions

Submissions will be effected via UK publishers, who will be able to submit a book (or manuscript) via the form above. Each publisher will be allowed to submit three books with scheduled publication dates between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010. The deadline for the return of submission forms is 31 March 2010. Each submission must be accompanied by a completed entry form. Final texts must be submitted by 30 June 2010.

If finished copies are not available by 31 March, 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.

Judging criteria

Four judges and one chair will be selected each year. As a group, the judges and chair will decide on a shortlist of six books (to be announced at The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival in October); a month later, a winner will be chosen.