2003 - The Judges
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Rosie Boycott (Chair) comments:
‘This is an excellent and strong list. Although fewer science books made the longlist, we are delighted to have Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation on the shortlist. We are very confident about this year’s list – each book brings a different perspective on life – and we would urge everyone to seek out and read these books, even before the winner is announced.’

The BBC FOUR Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction celebrates originality and diversity in contemporary non-fiction publishing.  This is reflected in the shortlist, which includes fresh names alongside already established writers; both Olivia Judson and Edgar Vincent are first-time authors.

In what is often viewed as a male-dominated genre, male and female authors are equally represented in the 2003 shortlist, the female contingent including Aminatta Forna’s moving and very personal family journey through Sierra Leone, Claire Tomalin’s award-winning biography of Samuel Pepys, and Olivia Judson’s guide to evolutionary sexual reproduction in the natural world.

The distinguished panel of judges for the 2003 prize is: journalist and broadcaster Rosie Boycott (Chair); Member of Parliament, Michael Portillo; science editor of the Guardian, Tim Radford; historian and writer, Andrew Roberts; and literary editor of The Economist, Fiammetta Rocco.

The winner, who will receive £30,000, will be announced on Monday 9 June at an Awards Dinner at the Savoy Hotel.