Ellen MacArthur’s autobiography, Taking On The World, has been short-listed for one of the world’s most valuable and long-running book prizes, the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. Five titles have made the short-list for the Award, now in its 14th year and widely known as the Bookie Prize, which will be announced at a lunchtime ceremony on Monday, 25 November at London’s Sportspages bookshop.

The other four short-listed titles are by Sunderland and Republic of Ireland striker Niall Quinn (My Autobiography); former England cricket captain Mike Atherton (Opening Up); acclaimed writer Tim Parks (A Season With Verona) – who has previously been short-listed for the Booker Prize; and former winner of the William Hill, Domald McRae (In Black And White), whose Dark Trade was the 1996 winner.

This year’s prize will be worth a record £15,000 package to the winner, made up of £12,000 cash; a £1,500 free bet and a specially commissioned bound copy of the winning book, while each of the four runners-up will receive a £2,000 package.

The judging panel for the Award, won last year by Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit, is: Frances Edmonds; John Inverdale; Danny Kelly; Hugh McIlvanney; Cliff Morgan; – chaired by John Gaustad of Sportspages bookshop. “From almost a hundred entries, the judges have come up with a fantastic short-list featuring three of the highest profile sportsmen and women around, a former winner of the Award and a Booker Prize short-listed author” said William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe, “A number of other well fancied titles made the long-list but didn’t quite reach the final stage”.