This podcast is for all those interested in applying for the Nine Dots Prize, or in writing non-fiction more generally.

This episode looks at questions: why questions are important, how to come up with questions that we want to research and write about, and how the Board picks questions that they feel will contribute to discussion and debate.

We hear from three of our brilliant Board members, Dr Linda Yueh CBE (University of Oxford/ London Business School) in the studio, and Professors J Jarpa Dawuni (Howard University) and Riccardo Rebonato (EDHEC Business School) online.

A transcript of this episode can be found here: https://ninedotsprize.org/transcript-of-nine-dots-prize-podcast-9-answering-questions-01-2026/.

This podcast is for all those interested in applying for the Nine Dots Prize, or in writing non-fiction more generally.

This episode looks as questions, why questions are important, how to come up with questions that we want to research and write about, and how the Board picks questions that they feel will contribute to future discussion and debate.

We hear from three of our brilliant Board members, Dr Linda Yueh CBE (University of Oxford/ London Business School) in the studio, along with Professors J Jarpa Dawuni (Howard University) and Riccardo Rebonato (EDHEC Business School) online.

You can find a transcript of this podcast here: https://ninedotsprize.org/transcript-of-nine-dots-prize-podcast-9-answering-questions-01-2026/.

This podcast is for all those interested in applying for the Nine Dots Prize, or in writing non-fiction more generally. This episode looks at endings, when and how you stop a project or piece of writing, leaving the reader with a satisfying conclusion. We hear from Catherine Carr (podcaster and journalist), Hari Kunzru (novelist and journalist) and James Williams (writer, ethicist and first Nine Dots Prize winner).

This podcast is for all those interested in applying for the Nine Dots Prize, or in writing non-fiction more generally.

This episode looks at beginnings, how to think about and start a piece of writing.

We hear from Milica Momcilovic (journalist and Nine Dots Prize Board member), Michael Rosen (writer and broadcaster); and Lee Child (writer).

The Nine Dots Prize has created a series of podcasts for those interesting in applying for the Prize, or anyone trying to improve their writing.

This episode looks at something every writer wants to achieve - how to make your ideas inspire and enthrall the reader. In this episide we hear from: Professor Devi Sridhar (public health expert and author), Dr Mya-Rose Craig (ornithologist and campaigner) and Professor David Runciman (academic and journalist).

This is a podcast for anyone interested in applying for the Nine Dots Prize, or interested in creative non-fiction writing more generally.

In this episode, we will be exploring one of the key challenges in any piece of writing - inspiration; how to get creative ideas and how to get these down on paper.

We talk with three successful writers about where they find their inspirations: Stella Duffy (writer and psychotherapist), Helen Czerski (physicist and broadcaster), and Urvashi Butalia (publisher and writer).

The Nine Dots Prize is a prize for creative thinking and writing about contemporary social issues. The aim of the Prize is to promote, encourage and engage innovative thinking to address problems facing the modern world.

This episode looks at how writers seek to persuade their readers that their subject is a worthy one and that their ideas and solutions are valuable.

In this episode we talk to: Eva Wolfangel, science journalist and Nine Dots Prize Board member; Philip Collins, journalist and political speechwriter; and Onjali Rauf, campaigner and children's writer.

The Nine Dots Prize is a prize for creative thinking and writing about contemporary social issues. The aim of the Prize is to promote, encourage and engage innovative thinking to address problems facing the modern world.

This podcast looks at how to use detail, whether it is characters, statistics or personal experience, to interest your readers. But at the same time ensure that you keep sight of the larger context or theme in which your ideas fit.

In this episode we talk to: Petina Gappah, writer and lawyer and Nine Dots Board member; Tim Harford, economist and broadcaster; and Helen Lewis, writer and journalist.

The Nine Dots Prize is a prize for creative thinking that tackles contemporary societal issues. The aim of the Prize is to promote, encourage and engage innovative thinking to address problems facing the modern world.

We hope to encourage entries from as wide a range of people and perspectives as possible. This podcast talks with three experts about why diversity and inclusion is important for both the Prize and society more generally.

We talk to Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, who is co-founder and publishing director of Cassava Republic Press, and is a Nine Dots Prize Board member. Lee Hall discusses drawing on personal experiences to write Billy Elliot and The Pitman Painters. And Lopa Patel outlines why she co-founded Diversity UK that advocates for improving diversity and inclusion in all walks of life.

The Nine Dots Prize is a prize for creative thinking that tackles contemporary societal issues. The aim of the Prize is to promote, encourage and engage innovative thinking to address problems facing the modern world.

We look for entries that are based on evidence and research but that are written creatively for a wide audience. This podcast talks with three successful authors about their experiences with writing non-fiction in a creative way and hears their tips and techniques for success.

We talk to Anne Applebaum, who reads from her book Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944–1956 (Allen Lane), and discusses her other recent books Gulag: A History (Doubleday) and Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine (Penguin Randomhouse). Adam Kay discusses collating his diaries into a book form and reads from the result This Is Going To Hurt (Picador). And Maria Farrell outlines how she used fiction as a way to communicate complex ideas. Maria read from her work, Falling for Mishi (™), which was written for the Internet Society's Global Internet Report.