About the Orwell Prize for Political Writing
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing is one of Britain's most prestigious awards for nonfiction, honouring books that best fulfil George Orwell's ambition to 'make political writing into an art.' Founded in 1994 and administered by the Orwell Foundation, the prize has long been regarded as the gold standard for politically engaged nonfiction in the English-speaking world. The award recognises books—chiefly nonfiction—that combine rigorous reporting, incisive argument, and exceptional prose to illuminate questions of power, justice, society, and democracy. Prior to 2019 the prize covered both fiction and nonfiction under a single Books category; from 2019 onwards, the prize was split into separate Political Writing (nonfiction) and Political Fiction categories. Winners of the Political Writing prize include some of the most consequential works of contemporary journalism and narrative nonfiction: Patrick Radden Keefe's Say Nothing (2019), a landmark account of the IRA and the Troubles; Sally Hayden's My Fourth Time, We Drowned (2022), an investigation into Europe's refugee detention system; and the posthumously celebrated Looking at Women, Looking at War by Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina (2025). The award is decided by a distinguished panel of judges drawn from journalism, academia, and public life. A shortlist of six to ten books is announced in spring, with the winner revealed at a ceremony in summer. The Orwell Prize carries no large monetary award but bestows enormous reputational prestige and is widely considered the most important recognition available to politically engaged nonfiction writers in the UK.
