Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025: Neneh Cherry, Yuan Yang, and Rachel Clarke in shortlist

The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction has announced its 2025 shortlist. The 16 works longlisted in February have been whittled down to six writers including Swedish singer Neneh Cherry, British-Chinese MP Yuan Yang and British physician Rachel Clarke.

Foreign policy expert Chloe Dalton, historian Clare Mulley, and marine biologist Helen Scales are also shortlisted for the £30,000 (€35,900) prize. From the initial shortlist that featured five non-British writers, only one remains: Neneh Cherry.

It’s the second edition of the Non-Fiction prize after it was launched in 2024 to celebrate books released in 2023. The sister prize to the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Canadian author Naomi Klein was the first recipient of the non-fiction prize for "Doppelganger", her critique of political polarization through the conceit of being regularly mistaken for Naomi Wolff.

This year’s shortlist covers a breadth of topics from history, science and nature, to current affairs and memoir.

“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,” Kavita Puri, judging chair said.

“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,” Puri continued.

Cherry was shortlisted for her deeply affecting memoir, "A Thousand Threads", which traces her musical career and life through the emotional highs and lows that shaped them, while Yang was chosen for her intimate portrait of four Chinese women in "Private Revolutions".

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