The Rt Hon David Willetts MP is to chair the judges for the 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, the UK’s leading non-fiction prize. He will be joined by writer and biographer Patrick French; journalists Paul Laity and Bronwen Maddox; and philosopher, novelist and cultural critic Professor Raymond Tallis.

David Willetts comments: “I am delighted to chair the panel of judges for this prestigious prize. We will enjoy reading this year’s submissions, which promise to both inform and entertain us in the way that only non-fiction can.”

The winner of last year’s prize was Mao’s Great Famine by Frank Dikötter (Bloomsbury Publishing). The deadline for submissions to this year’s prize has now closed, and the winner of the 2012 prize will be announced on 12th November, following the longlist and shortlist announcements in early autumn (dates tbc).