Winner of the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize 2024 announced

A book about the science of red-bottomed baboons and iridescent peacocks wins the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize!

Can You Get Rainbows in Space? by Dr Sheila Kanani MBE, illustrated by Liz Kay, has been selected as the winner of the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize 2024.

The announcement was made at a ceremony at the Glasgow Science Centre, where over 150 students from local schools and judging panels gathered to meet the shortlisted authors and crown their winner.

After an expert panel of adult judges whittled down the best children's science books of 2024 to a shortlist of six, some 19,000 young readers across the country hosted their own judging meetings to read, discuss and debate the selection before voting for their favourite.

The winning book takes readers on an extraordinary journey over the rainbow, with fascinating facts and engaging illustrations exploring the science behind every colour - from why some monkeys have red bottoms, to how peacocks' feathers are an optical illusion.

Dr Sheila Kanani is a planetary scientist, author and educator. Through her company, Her Place for Space, she is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of space scientists and improving the representation of women and girls in physics.

The winner will receive a £10,000 cash prize, with shortlisted authors receiving £2,500.

Full Shortlist for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize 2024

Engineers Making a Difference - Inventors, Technicians, Scientists and Tech Entrepreneurs Changing the World, and How You Can Join Them, by Shini Somara and Manual Šumberac and Adam Allsuch Boardman

Mission: Arctic - A Scientific Adventure to a Changing North Pole, by Katharina Weiss-Tuider, illustrated by Christian Schneider, translated by Shelley Tanaka

Very Short Introductions for Curious Young Minds: The Expanding World of Data by Tom Jackson, illustrated by Ekaterina Gorelova and Ana Seixas

Where Are You Really From? by Adam Rutherford, illustrated by Adam Ming

All Bodies Are Wonderful by Beth Cox, illustrated by Samantha Meredith