Women's Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist 2025: ‘Unforgettable' writers shed light on human condition

Independent

26-03-2025

The shortlist for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 has been announced.
Launched last year as a sister award to the Women's Prize for Fiction (now in its 30th year), the accolade seeks to 'amplify female voices, whilst celebrating books that inform, challenge, disrupt, and offer solace and connection'.
This year's finalists include six writers who challenge power and champion the resilience of the human spirit. Featured on the list are works that celebrate the natural world as well as in-depth explorations of complex subjects. Half of this year's authors are shortlisted for their first books.
Hailing from a diverse range of professional backgrounds, this year's candidates include music icon Neneh Cherry, newly elected MP Yuan Yang (also the UK's first ever British Chinese representative), a marine biologist and broadcaster, a foreign policy expert, a palliative care doctor, and a historian.
'It's an absolute pleasure to announce six books on our 2025 shortlist from across genres, that are united by an unforgettable voice, rigour, and unique insight,' said Kavita Puri, chair of judges.
'Included in our list are narratives that honour the natural world and its bond with humanity, meticulously researched stories of women challenging power, and books that illuminate complex subjects with authority, nuance and originality.'
Last year's Prize was won by Naomi Klein for her book Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, which investigated the world of 'conspiracy theories, anti-vaxxers and demagogue hucksters'.
This year's winner will be awarded in an evening ceremony held on 12 June in Central London, where the winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction will also be announced. Each will be awarded a prize of £30,000.
See the full shortlist below.
A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry
Swedish singer-songwriter Cherry first shot to fame for her song 'Buffalo Stance' in 1988, making a name for herself through innovative genre-mixing. The Brit Award-winning musician has collaborated with artists including Cher and the Damon Albarn-fronted band Gorillaz. In this memoir, she weaves the threads of her life into a unique tale, exploring themes of family, belonging, and music throughout.
The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke
Nine-year-old Keira suffered catastrophic injuries that caused her brain and body to shut down, but her heart kept beating. Her parents agreed she would have wanted to be an organ donor and followed the procedure to enable it to happen, donating her heart to fellow nine-year-old Max. Following the organ's journey, Dr Clarke, a palliative care doctor, tracks the medical advancements that made the young boy's miraculous discovery from a deadly virus possible. Her previous work, Breathtaking, was shortlisted for numerous awards and adapted into an acclaimed ITV series.
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
Political adviser Dalton returns to the countryside of her childhood where she finds a small leveret the size of her palm, and gently nurses it back to health. The story of their connection sheds light on the relationship between human and animal, invoking a sense of awe towards the natural world. The work has received critical acclaim and was selected as the Hay Festival Book of the Year 2024. It was also shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year and a Critics Best Pick for The Times, Guardian and Financial Times.
Agent ZO: The Untold Stories of Courageous WW2 Resistance Fighter Elżbieta Zawacka by Clare Mulley
Elżbieta Zawacka's story is told in captivating detail by historian Clare Mulley – and it is a truly gripping one. Zawacka is the only woman to reach London from Warsaw, after which she was trained in the English countryside and sent back behind enemy lines into Nazi-occupied Poland. Taking a leading role in the Warsaw uprising, her story unpacks the agency of women during World War II.
What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean by Helen Scales
From the prehistoric underworld of the sea to the modern day, marine biologist Scales shows how the ocean's memory and history holds lessons for its present and future. Animals, seagrass meadows, coral reefs and giant forests all possess valuable information. Unpacking the threats to marine life, as well as shedding light on innovative ideas for protecting coastlines and cleaning toxic seas, the author takes us on a journey of remembering, uncovering, and imagining.
Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang
Four tenacious women refuse to submit to society's expectations in modern-day China, in Yang's journey through a rapidly changing nation. The MP is the UK's first Chinese-born representative, uniquely placed to share the stories of those caught in the fray of political and social upheaval. The book is the real story of women who are pushing for a life defined by themselves, motivated by ambition, desire, and imagination.