2021 Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize

I am a Book. I am a Portal to the Universe by Stefanie Posavec and Miriam Quick is the winner of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2021. The award was announced March 8 in an online ceremony.

More than 11,000 young judges drawn from 500 UK schools and youth groups cast their votes for their favorite science book from a shortlist of six titles, chosen by a panel of adult judges, including BBC broadcaster Gabby Logan and award-winning author Sharna Jackson.

The Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize champions the best science books for under-14s. The winning authors receive an award of £10,000 and the shortlisted authors each receive £2,500.

This year’s winner is an abstract and artistic exploration of the collaboration between art, science and data. Combining Stefanie Posavec’s skills as a designer, artist and author, and Miriam Quick’s experience as a data journalist and researcher I Am a Book. I Am a Portal to the Universe published by Penguin, becomes a tool to help young readers uncover the science hidden in everyday life. 

Through simple activities, like wearing the book as a hat or dropping it from a height, big questions are explored such as how loud is the Sun, how fast is gold mined, and how many stars are born in the time it takes to turn a page?

Stefanie Posavec is a designer and artist who uses data as a creative material. Miriam Quick is a data journalist and researcher who explores novel ways of communicating information.

[Based on a press release.]