The Marsh Biography Award is a biennial award, given for the best biography written by a British author and first published in the UK during the two preceding years. Judges are looking for a work that is historically important, records significant human achievement and is representative of the highest standards of written English and serious research.

The 2011 award judged biographies published in 2009-2010. The winner was announced as Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan by D R Thorpe at a ceremony on Tuesday 22 November.

The next award will be held in 2013 for biographies published in 2011-12.

Shortlist

Thanks to the help of 180 volunteers from across the UK, who read and reviewed over 100 entries for this year's award, we are pleased to announce the shortlist is as follows:

• Caravaggio, a Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon, published by Allen Lane, 2010
• Frances Partridge by Anne Chisholm published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009
• How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell, published by Chatto & Windus, 2010
• Storyteller: The Life of Roald Dahl by Donald Sturrock, published by HarperPress, 2010
• Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan by D R Thorpe, published by Chatto & Windus, 2010
• William Golding: The Man who Wrote "Lord of the Flies" by John Carey, published by Faber & Faber, 2009

Rules and Eligibility

• Books must be first published between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2012 in the UK. Previously published books will not be eligible.
• Authors must be of British nationality; or other nationals who are resident in the UK at the time of entering. It is the responsibility of the publisher to ascertain this information before entering the book.
• Biographies must have been first published in the UK.
• Submissions should represent work that is historically important, records significant human achievement and is representative of the highest standard of written English and serious research.
• Books must be published by an established UK publishing house. Self-published books and online publications are not eligible for the prize.
• Books must be first written in English, translations are not eligible. All titles must be the work of either a single or joint author/s. Collections by multiple authors will not be eligible.
• Autobiographies are not eligible.
• The administrator’s decision on eligibility is final.
• Entries will not be returned.
• Shortlisted authors are encouraged to participate fully in the promotion of the prize – whether it is media interviews, writing a piece for the ESU website or attending the award ceremony.
• Publishers agree to do their best to attendance of their shortlisted author at the awards ceremony, and to cover the cost of their visit if needed.
• Publishers agree to provide publicity boards and additional copies of their shortlisted author if necessary.