The 2025 Wainwright Prize for Illustrative Books shortlist celebrates the dynamic intersection of art, storytelling, and environmental insight. This year’s finalists include Feed the Planet by George Steinmetz, with Joel K. Bourne Jr. and Michael Pollan, a striking visual journey into global food systems, and Homecoming by Melissa Harrison, beautifully illustrated by Amand Dilworth, which is a monthly guide to the changing seasons. Peter Kuper’s Insectopolis offers a vivid, graphic exploration of the 400-million-year history of insects, while Swoop Sing Perch Paddle by Carry Akroyd and John McEwen is a lyrical blend of illustration and commentary on
British birds. Also shortlisted are The Perimeter by Quintin Lake, a photographic odyssey around the UK coastline, and Trees in Winter by Richard Shimell, which captures the quiet elegance and ecological significance of winter woodlands.