2024 Booker Prize facts for kids

Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2024 Booker Prize.

The 2024 Booker Prize is a very important award for books written in English. It's given to the best novel published in the United Kingdom or Ireland each year. The winner gets a big prize of £50,000!

In 2024, on November 12, the amazing author Samantha Harvey won the award. Her winning book is a science fiction novel called Orbital. The special award ceremony happened in London at a place called Old Billingsgate.

How a Book Wins the Prize

The journey to winning the Booker Prize starts with many books. Judges carefully read them all.

The Longlist: First Choices

The first step is to pick a "longlist" of 13 books. This list was announced on July 30, 2024. It included books from both new and experienced authors.

• Three authors on the list were "debut novelists." This means it was their very first book!
• Six authors, including Samantha Harvey, had been nominated for the prize before.
• This year's longlist was special. It included the first authors ever from the Netherlands and the first Native American author.

The head judge, Edmund de Waal, said the books were all different. But they all explored how characters live through tough or uncertain times.

The Shortlist: The Final Six

From the longlist, the judges chose a "shortlist" of six final books. This was announced on September 16, 2024. It was a historic year because five of the six finalists were women. This was the most women finalists in the prize's 55-year history!

The Winning Book: Orbital

Samantha Harvey's book Orbital is a science fiction story. It takes place in space. This is the first time a novel set in space has won the Booker Prize! The book is also very short, only 136 pages. It is one of the shortest books to ever win the award.

The head judge, Edmund de Waal, loved the book. He said that Harvey's writing is "beautiful and sharp." He felt it made our world seem "strange and new" to readers. He also said the novel shows how beautiful our planet is, but also how fragile it can be.

When Samantha Harvey accepted her award, she gave a special speech. She dedicated her prize to people who work for peace. She also honored those who speak up for our Earth and for treating all living things with respect.

The Judges

A team of five judges picked the winning book. They were:

• Edmund de Waal (the main judge)
• Sara Collins
• Justine Jordan
• Nitin Sawhney
• Yiyun Li

All the Nominated Books

Here is the full list of the 13 books that were nominated for the 2024 Booker Prize.

     Winner      Shortlisted Finalist

See also

• List of winners and nominated authors of the Booker Prize