Women's Prize for Fiction

The Women's Prize for Fiction is an annual literary award established in 1996 to celebrate outstanding, ambitious, and original fiction written in English by women anywhere in the world. Founded in response to the all-male 1991 Booker Prize shortlist, the prize was created by a group of senior women in publishing who sought to redress the underrepresentation of women in major literary awards. Originally known as the Orange Prize for Fiction (after its founding sponsor), then briefly as the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, it became the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2018. The prize is open to any woman writing in English, regardless of nationality or country of publication, making it one of the most geographically inclusive literary awards in the world. This breadth has resulted in an exceptionally diverse roll call of winners, from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Zadie Smith to Marilynne Robinson, Maggie O'Farrell, and Ali Smith. The winner receives a cheque for £30,000 and a limited-edition bronze figurine called 'Bessie,' created by artist Grizel Niven. The judging process begins with submissions from publishers, leading to a longlist announced in March, a shortlist of six books in April, and a winner announced at a summer ceremony in London—making it unusual among major prizes for its summer timing. The judging panel changes each year and typically includes writers, broadcasters, academics, and other prominent figures from public life. Administered by the Women's Prize Trust, the award also runs a range of initiatives to support women writers and readers, including reading groups, school programmes, and the annual Futures Award for emerging fiction writers.