Margaret MacMillan's Peacemakers has won the £2,000 (about $2,690) PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize "Winner of Winners," a special anniversary edition of the award for historical nonfiction, marking its 25th and final year.
Peacemakers, which explores the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, was the winner of the inaugural PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize in 2002. The award was established through a bequest from former PEN member Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman to the PEN Literary Foundation to found a prize in her name.
The "Winner of Winners" was chosen from previous winners by returning judges from past years. Observing that Peacemakers was the first winner of the prize, chair Isabelle Hessell-Tiltman said: "Twenty-five years later, its selection as 'Winner of Winners' is a testament to the book's enduring quality and relevance. Through meticulous research and exceptional storytelling, Margaret MacMillan brought a pivotal moment in international diplomacy to life for a wide readership, creating a work that continues to resonate today."