Women’s Prize for Fiction Announces 2018 Judging Panel
Monday 4th December 2017:The judges for the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction – one of the biggest international celebrations of women’s creativity in the world -are announced today.
Chair of Judges, Sarah Sands, Editor of the Today Programme, is joined by Anita Anand, radio and television journalist; Katy Brand, writer, comedian and actor; Catherine Mayer, journalist, author and co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party and actress Imogen Stubbs.
“I am proud to be chairing this admirable Prize along with such independent-minded fellow judges,” commented Sarah Sands, “The variety, originality and confidence of the authors this year is cheering and I am very much looking forward to discussing the nature of female achievement. “
The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s only annual book award for writing by women celebrating excellence, originality and accessibility. Established in 1996, to celebrate and promote international fiction written by women to the widest range of readers possible, the Prize is awarded for the best novel of the year written by a woman. Any woman writing in English – whatever her nationality, country of residence, age or subject matter – is eligible. 2018 marks the 23rd year of the Prize.
The winner will receive an anonymously endowed cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze figurine known as a ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven.
The 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction will be awarded on June 6th 2018 at an awards ceremony in central London.
Previous winners include Naomi Alderman for The Power (2017), Lisa McInerney for The Glorious Heresies (2016), Ali Smith for How to be Both (2015), Eimear McBride for A Girl is a Half-formed Thing (2014), A.M. Homes for May We Be Forgiven (2013), Madeline Miller for The Song of Achilles (2012), Téa Obreht for The Tiger’s Wife (2011), Barbara Kingsolver for The Lacuna (2010), Marilynne Robinson for Home (2009), Rose Tremain for The Road Home (2008), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Half of a Yellow Sun (2007), Zadie Smith for On Beauty (2006), Lionel Shriver for We Need to Talk About Kevin (2005), Andrea Levy for Small Island (2004), Valerie Martin for Property (2003), Ann Patchett for Bel Canto (2002), Kate Grenville for The Idea of Perfection (2001), Linda Grant for When I Lived in Modern Times (2000), Suzanne Berne for A Crime in the Neighbourhood (1999), Carol Shields for Larry’s Party (1998), Anne Michaels for Fugitive Pieces (1997), and Helen Dunmore for A Spell of Winter (1996).
For the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2018, novels must be published in the UK between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018. The Prize is administered by the Society of Authors.