The Women's Prize Trust has released the shortlist for the 2025 Women's Prize for Nonfiction, which "promotes excellence in writing, robust research, original narrative voices and accessibility, showcasing women's expertise across a range of fields," and is a sister prize to the Women's Prize for Fiction.
The winner, who will be named June 12 at the Women's Prize Trust's summer party in London, receives £30,000 (about $38,665) and a limited-edition artwork known as the "Charlotte," both given by the Charlotte Aitken Trust. This year's shortlisted titles are:
A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry
The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Courageous WW2 Resistance Fighter Elżbieta Zawacka by Clare Mulley
What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean by Helen Scales
Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang
Chair of judges Kavita Puri said the shortlisted books "are united by an unforgettable voice, rigor, and unique insight. Included in our list are narratives that honor the natural world and its bond with humanity, meticulously researched stories of women challenging power, and books that illuminate complex subjects with authority, nuance and originality. These books will stay with you long after they have been read, for their outstanding prose, craftsmanship, and what they reveal about the human condition and our world. It was such a joy to embrace such an eclectic mix of narratives by such insightful women writers--we are thrilled and immensely proud of our final shortlist."
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Longlists have been revealed for the 2025 Jhalak Prose Prize, the Jhalak Children's & YA Prize, and the inaugural Jhalak Poetry Prize. The awards "seek to celebrate books by writers of color in the U.K. and Ireland." Each winner receives £1,000 (about $1,295) along with a work of art created by artists chosen for the annual Jhalak Art Residency. Shortlists will be released April 22 and the winners named June 4.
Prize director Sunny Singh said: "It is clear in the ninth year of the Jhalak Prize awards that the quality of work being produced by writers of color in Britain and Ireland is extraordinary.... These books do not flinch from the harsh realities of our histories, times and lives. Yet they are also books full of love, hope and joy."