Wellcome Collection has announced today that the Wellcome Book Prize will be pausing to allow the team to reflect and to plan for the future of the prize.
We’re extremely proud of the success of the prize, which celebrates exceptional works of literature that illuminate the many ways that health, medicine and illness touch our lives. Over the past ten years of the prestigious award we have recognised an eclectic variety of titles over the last decade, from novels (Murmur by Will Eaves) to memoir (The Iceberg by Marion Coutts) and popular science (To Be a Machine by Mark O’Connell).
Wellcome Collection regularly reviews core programmes and initiatives so we can make sure they remain relevant, impactful and responsive to our audiences. Following the success of the 10th year of the prize, we’ve decided to take a pause and reflect, just as we did in 2013. Wellcome remains committed to supporting writers and great writing on health and what it means to be human, and this pause will allow us to review what we’ve achieved so far and ensure we continue to achieve our goal.
In the meantime, we’re very much looking forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary of the prize with Elif Shafak, our 2019 chair of judges, who will give ‘The Wellcome Book Prize Lecture 2019’ at the Hay Festival on Friday 31 May 2019.