WHAT We Do
The £5,000 Prize is awarded for a work of non-fiction published in English within the current year. Genres shortlisted in the past include history, biography, travel and nature writing, politics, poetry and literary criticism.
By tradition, the five-strong jury call in the books for consideration directly from the publishers. Direct submissions from authors are not accepted.
Should you however wish to bring a book to the jury’s attention, please send an email to DuffCooperPrize@gmail.com with details of the work. We will get back to you if the judges wish to consider the book.
- No manuscripts or bound typescripts will be accepted.
- Works translated from another language are not eligible.
- The author must be living at the time of publication.
- The book must be published in the United Kingdom.
- The publisher should be a member of the Publishers Association.
- All copies of the book submitted to the Administrator and the judges of the Duff Cooper Prize are non-returnable.
- The Administrator’s decision on whether or not to accept a book as a contender is final, and not open to discussion.

Artemis, Laurent, Anna
The Pol Roger Duff Cooper prize was awarded on March 6th 2023 to Anna Keay for The Restless Republic: Britain without a Crown. R to L: Artemis Cooper, Laurent d’Harcourt, Anna Keay. Photograph by Adrian Pope