The Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2019: submissions deadline Monday 1 April

The closing date for submissions for the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2019, the British Academy’s prestigious non-fiction book prize, is Monday 1 April.

The £25,000 prize is awarded annually for an outstanding contribution to global cultural understanding that illuminates the interconnections and divisions that shape cultural identity worldwide.

To be eligible for entry, books must be works of non-fiction published in English between 1 March 2018 and 31 March 2019. The jury will be looking for books that are rigorous and evidence-based, that demonstrate original research and are likely to significantly advance public understanding and debate. Authors may be of any nationality, based anywhere in the world and working in any language provided that the nominated work is available in the English language and has been published in the UK.  

The winner of the 2018 prize was Kapka Kassabova for Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe. She will be speaking at a British Academy event at the Hay Festival.

The prize was founded and is generously sponsored by the neuroscientist and International Relations scholar Professor Nayef Al-Rodhan. It was first awarded in 2013.

The 2019 jury is chaired by Professor Ash Amin CBE FBA, the Foreign Secretary of the British Academy. He is joined by:

• Professor Rana Mitter FBA, historian and political scientist


• Dame Henrietta Moore FBA, social anthropologist


• Professor Patrick Wright FBA, writer and broadcaster


• Madeleine Bunting, writer

Jury chair, Professor Ash Amin CBE FBA, said: “The British Academy is immensely proud to champion the books that shine a spotlight on global cultural understanding. There could not be a more important time than now to reward and celebrate the work that enables us to open our minds in new ways to other cultures. We are hugely excited by the prospect of receiving and then considering the books that will be in contention for this year’s prize.”

An entry form is available online. For enquiries about submissions, please contact: [email protected] with the subject line Query: Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize 2019.

Find out more about the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding.