Great history, brilliantly told.
Awarded by the Wolfson Foundation annually for over fifty years, the Wolfson History Prize is the UK’s most prestigious history prize. It recognises and celebrates books which combine the highest quality of research with readability.
Key dates for 2026
Shortlist announced
17 September 2026
Winner announced
1 December 2026
2025 Winner
Survivors:
The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Hannah Durkin
‘Survivors:
The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade’
Hannah Durkin
Keep up to date with the prize
WIN! This month, we're giving you the chance to win a copy of 'The Gravity of Feathers: Fame, Fortune and the Story of St Kilda' by Andrew Fleming. 📚
Enter via Wolfson History Prize on Instagram.
Entries close 12/08/2026 10AM BST. UK Only.
https://bit.ly/4vErZYh
#OTD in 1917, Battle of Passchendaele began when British and Allied forces launched an offensive in Belgium. In the 2015 #WolfsonHistoryPrize winner 'Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914–1918', author Alexander Watson covers the history of the First World War
#OTD in 1917, Battle of Passchendaele began when British and Allied forces launched an offensive in Belgium. The battle became infamous due to the terrible muddy conditions and massive casualties on both sides.
For more history on the conflicts of WWI, the 2015
#OTD in 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act passed its second reading in the House of Commons unopposed.
In the #WolfsonHistoryPrize 2024 shortlisted book 'Traders in Men: Merchants and the Transformation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade', author Nicholas Radburn directly addresses
We are pleased to introduce the #WolfsonHistoryPrize judging panel for 2026: David Cannadine (Chair), Helen King, Sudhir Hazareesingh, Helen McCarthy and Diarmaid MacCulloch. For detailed biographies of the five judges, please see here:
Judges of The Wolfson History Prize
Find out more about the judges of the Wolfson History Prize, the UK's most prestigious history-writing prize.
www.wolfsonhistoryprize.org.uk
#OTD in 1535, Sir Thomas More was executed after refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy.
In the 2018 #WolfsonHistoryPrize winning 'Heretics and Believers', author Peter Marshall reframes the overthrow of Catholic culture and the reshaping of the English Church in an engaging
WIN! This month we're giving you the chance to win a copy of 'Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade' by Hannah Durkin. 📚
To enter: head to this post on our Instagram page!
Entries close 10/07/2026 10AM GMT. UK Only.
We are delighted to announce celebrated author and historian Helen McCarthy as one of the judges for the 2026 #WolfsonHistoryPrize.
Helen McCarthy is an historian of everyday worlds of work, family and politics in modern Britain from the late nineteenth century to the present.
#OTD in 1916, the Battle of the Somme began, one of the deadliest battles in human history.
The 1985 #WolfsonHistoryPrize winner 'Lloyd George: From Peace to War, 1912-1916' by John Grigg explores Lloyd George's time as a dynamic war minister during the years of the First World
