Yong wins £25k Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize

Science writer Ed Yong has won the £25,000 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize for An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us (Vintage). 

The announcement was made during a ceremony at the Royal Society in London hosted by journalist, writer and broadcaster Samira Ahmed.

In An Immense World, Yong explores the animal kingdom and the "multisensory" ways in which animals experience the world. The author won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic during his time as staff writer for the Atlantic. He is also the author of I Contain Multitudes (Vintage), which was shortlisted for The Royal Society Science Book Prize in 2017.

The five-strong panel of judges hailed the winning book as a "fascinating journey of discovery" and an "exploration of evolution, behavioural science, physics and neuroscience". They praised Yong for his "exceptionally well-written and structured narrative" and for the research that he underwent in the process of writing the book. 

Yong said: “I feel greatly honoured that my book has been added to the parade of incredible books that I have watched win this prize. I’ve been fascinated by the way animals perceive the world around them for the longest time. This is a book about animals for their own sake — a book about curiosity and empathy.

"We could all use a little more empathy in the world, and I think empathy is a muscle that you can build by repeatedly flexing. The fact that so many readers have gravitated towards these themes and found meaning in them means a lot to me.”

Alain Goriely, chair of the 2023 judging panel, and statutory professor of mathematical modelling at the University of Oxford, added: "In An Immense World, Ed Yong masterfully transforms the mundane into the magical, taking us through the animal kingdom’s myriad senses one scientific discovery at a time... It is a read that leaves one with a profound appreciation for our shared world, demonstrating that great science books don’t just educate – they have the potential to transform.”

Alongside Goriely, the 2023 judging panel also included author Bonnie Garmus, neuroscientist Rebecca Henry, actor Paterson Joseph and the Daily Telegraph’s arts and entertainment editor Anita Singh.

Yong will be presented with a cheque for £25,000, with the other five shortlisted authors due to receive £2,500. Last year’s winner was Henry Gee, for A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth (St Martin’s Press).