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2010 The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

The 12th edition of the prize saw a highly topical, global and eclectic list of books, demonstrating "the worldiness of good non-fiction writing", with books that travelled from China and India, to Africa and the Arctic. There were four first-time authors nominated, with books covering subjects as diverse as skateboards in Iran to the secret lives of buildings.

Longlist announced

22 April 2010

Shortlist announced

26 May 2010

Winner & prize ceremony

1 July 2010

What the judges said

“Nowhere will you find a better account of real life in North Korea, a society that is all too easily comically typecast by massive parades of co-ordinated flag-wavers.”

Lindsay Hillsum accepting the award on behalf of Barbara who was unable to attend the ceremony

View the gallery of the prize-giving ceremony

What the judges said

"There is something for everyone, whether it be maths or fishing. Perhaps the only common feature of these books is the passion and sheer enthusiasm of the authors for their subjects.”

Meet the judges for 2010

The longlist, shortlist and winner is chosen by a panel of independent judges, which changes every year

Evan Davis

Former presenter of Newsnight and Radio 4’s Today Programme

Jan Dalley

Arts Editor at the Financial Times

Daniel Finkelstein

Former executive editor of The Times

Roger Highfield

Science Director at the Science Museum Group

Stella Tillyard

Winner of the 1999 Meilleur Livre Estranger prize

More about the judges