25 The 25th anniversary prize

The judges of the Winner of Winners Award were: New Statesman editor-in-chief, Jason Cowley (chair); academic, critic and broadcaster, Shahidha Bari; journalist, author and academic, Sarah Churchwell; and biographer and critic Frances Wilson.

Together they selected a shortlist from the 24 previous winners of the prize (announced on 9 March), before choosing an overall winner. The winner was announced on 27 April at an event held at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The anniversary was also marked by a one-off documentary – All The Best Stories Are True – which explores the very best in non-fiction writing over the past 25 years. From nail-biting moments to life changing stories, the documentary uncovers how the prize started out as the non-fiction rival to the Booker, and what the next 25 years hold for readers and writers in a world now steeped in ‘fake news’. It is available to watch on the Baillie Gifford Prize YouTube this February.

In addition to this, Waterstones celebrated the 25^th anniversary with displays of all 24 previous winners, paying tribute to the Baillie Gifford Prize’s history and influence as the biggest UK-based non-fiction book prize.

To celebrate 25 years of the prize, we are so excited to share this one-off documentary with you. All The Best Stories Are True explores the history of the prize. From nail-biting moments to life changing stories, the documentary uncovers how the prize started out as the non-fiction rival to the Booker, and what the next two and a half decades hold for readers and writers in a world now steeped in ‘fake news’