Wright to chair Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize judging panel

Writer and broadcaster Patrick Wright will chair the jury of the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2020, the British Academy’s non-fiction book prize.

Wright (pictured), who is emeritus professor of literature and History at King’s College, London, has served on the prize's jury 2018. This year the prize welcomes a new jury member – Channel 4 News presenter Fatima Manji. She joins professor Rana Mitter FBA, historian and political scientist; professor Dame Henrietta Moore FBA, social anthropologist; and writer Madeleine Bunting.

The jury will select a shortlist of up to six books to be announced in September and the winner will be announced at a ceremony held at the British Academy in October.

The £25,000 prize is awarded annually for an outstanding contribution to global cultural understanding ‚Äì illuminating the interconnections and divisions shaping cultural identity worldwide. The deadline for submissions is 1st April 2020.

Wright said: "It is a great privilege to chair the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize. This international prize has rewarded some extraordinary books which have each made a significant impact on the way that we think about the world and the interconnection of its cultures. This year we are looking forward to reading and discussing some exceptional books, and discovering the exciting new voices that are making a contribution to wider understanding of cultures worldwide."

Last year British historian Toby Green won the prize with his “treasure trove” book A Fistful of Shells (Allen Lane).