Every year over the past twenty years, the Veolia Foundation’s Environmental Book Award has honored two titles published in French, one for adult readers, the other for a younger audience, that explain and explore key ecological themes. The award was established in the belief that books have the power to raise awareness about the major challenges our planet faces. The award supports and promotes authors and publishers who strive to alert the general public to these critical questions.

Prize-winners are selected by a jury of writers, journalists, environmental specialists and personalities known for their commitment to the environment. Since 2024 the jury has been chaired by Bruno David, a French naturalist and former president of the National Museum of Natural History who specializes in paleontology, evolutionary sciences, and biodiversity.

The Environmental Book Award showcases books that help improve understanding of our planet and its biodiversity, and that actively encourage readers to imagine new ways to live on Earth. They include Effondrement [Collapse] by Jared Diamond, Habiter [Inhabit] by Michel Serres, Le Bug humain [The Human Bug] by Sébastien Bohler, L’enfer numérique – Voyage au bout d’un like [Digital Nightmare – Journey to the Heart of a Like] by Guillaume Pitron and Les abeilles et la vie [The Bees of Life] by Didier Van Cauwelaert. 

The Environmental Book Award is determined to reflect the diversity of formats and narratives by selecting specialist works as well as books targeting a mainstream readership,” explains Bruno David. “These are works with solid scientific grounding but that are also attractive to readers who can take pleasure in them without needing any specialist knowledge about a specific domain. A good book kindles curiosity and encourages thinking by opening our eyes to the world that surrounds us.