Science Experiments by Robert Winston wins Royal Society Young People's Book Prize 2012

Young judges described the book, which is packed with fun experiments to do at home, as 'the best science book we've seen'.

Science Experiments, by Robert Winston and Ian Graham (Dorling Kindersley) was chosen from a shortlist of six by more that 1,000 young people from 120 schools and youth groups.

The £10,000 prize was presented last night at a ceremony at the Royal Society. It is the second time Professor Robert Winston has won it. He said:

'It is fantastic that this prize has been won by Science Experiments.  But I really want to congratulate the Royal Society on holding the prize, particularly for young people, because it seems to me that it is ever more important that we communicate science to everybody in society.  So this prize - and prize money - will go towards the Reach Out Lab at Imperial College, where we bring children of all ages into the college and they do science experiments with a background of maths to improve science literacy.'

Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, said: 'The childhoods of many great scientists in history are littered with experiments in kitchens, backgardens, parks and beaches.  These explorations of the world allowed countless extraordinary minds to discover the joy and excitement of science and, occasionally, to make a mess.  This year’s winner, Robert Winston’s Science Experiments, is a brilliant book that can help many young people to reach this febrile ground where our future Nobel prize-winners may develop.  I am also delighted that Professor Winston has chosen to donate the prize to Reach Out Labs, which will help more young people to experience the real, exciting world of scientific research.'

For all the latest publishing news, subscribe to Writing Magazine or download our app

Register and sign up for our newsletter for late-breaking news, more competitions and exclusive content