The judging panel: Dr Betina Ip, Vicky Walsh, Professor Tamsin Mather, Helen Cooper, Professor Steve Brusatte

Professor Tamsin Mather, Supernumerary Fellow in Earth Sciences and Professor of Earth Sciences at Univ, will chair the judging panel for the 2025 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize an annual celebration of the best science books for readers under 14.

Professor Mather will be joined on the panel by Helen Cooper, an award-winning children’s author and illustrator, Professor Steve Brusatte, Hollywood science advisor, dinosaur expert, and author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, Dr Betina Ip, a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow who studies how the brain creates our sense of vision, and Vicky Walsh, a primary school teacher and science lead.

The judges have been tasked with narrowing down a longlist of more than 40 titles to a shortlist of just six books. The shortlisted titles will then be sent to hundreds of schools, libraries and youth groups across the UK, where young readers will take the lead in choosing the overall winner.

In 2024, over 4500 books were distributed to schools as part of the judging process, supporting access to high-quality science writing in classrooms and libraries across the country and helping to spark curiosity and an interest in science.

Professor Mather, said: “I am thrilled to be chairing the shortlisting panel for this year’s Young People’s Book Prize. Inspiring and supporting the next generation of thinkers is one of the most important roles of the Royal Society and this book prize exemplifies this mission. We’ve got a fantastic range of voices on the panel, from authors and illustrators to scientists and teachers, each bringing a unique perspective on science books aimed at a young audience – definitely a recipe for lively discussions!”

“But the real experts are the young readers themselves, and one of the things that excites me most about this prize is that it’s down to them to pick their winner. They know best about what inspires and excites and I cannot wait to hear what they have to say.”

The shortlist for the 2025 prize will be announced on 19 November 2025, with the winner announced at a ceremony in April 2026.

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