Wolfson History Prize boosts winner's award to £50k in anniversary year

The UK’s most valuable award of its kind, the Wolfson History Prize, will celebrate its 50th anniversary by boosting its prize money this year to £50,000 for the winner, with each shortlisted author taking home £5,000.  

Organisers have also confirmed the dates for the 2022 prize, with the shortlist of six historical non-fiction books to be revealed on 21st April and the winner announced on 22nd June. In previous years, the winner received £40,000 while shortlisted entrants got £4,000. 

First awarded in 1972, the Wolfson History Prize recognises outstanding works of historical non-fiction from the previous year, demonstrating the relevance of history and historical writing to society today. During that time, it has awarded more than £1.3m to more than 120 historians, with winners including Mary Beard, Simon Schama, Eric Hobsbawm, Amanda Vickery, Antony Beevor, Christopher Bayly and Antonia Fraser.  

The Wolfson History Prize is run and awarded by the Wolfson Foundation, an independent charity that awards grants in the fields of science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts. 

Last year’s winner was Sudhir Hazareesingh for Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture (Allen Lane). 

Full plans of the Wolfson History Prize’s 50th anniversary celebrations will be revealed in the coming weeks.