The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

The UK's premier annual prize for non-fiction books

The Baillie Gifford Prize rewards excellence in non-fiction writing, bringing the best in intelligent reflection on the world to new readers. It covers all non-fiction in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. We celebrate the best in contemporary non-fiction writing as we believe all the best stories are true.

Toby Mundy, Prize Director

The Prize announces the 2024 shortlist

We are delighted to announce the 2024 shortlist

The 25th anniversary prize

1599

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare

James Shapiro

Published by: Faber & Faber

Find your next favourite read

The prize provides a growing list of books by astonishing authors to inspire, educate and inform.

Shortlist

2024

Revolusi

David Van Reybrouck

Longlist

2004

Orwell

D.J. Taylor

A one off documentary

To celebrate 25 years of the prize in 2023, we shared this one-off documentary with you. All The Best Stories Are True explores the history of the prize. From nail-biting moments to life changing stories, the documentary uncovers how the prize started out as the non-fiction rival to the Booker, and what the next two and a half decades hold for readers and writers in a world now steeped in ‘fake news’.