List of Women's Prize for Fiction winners facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Women's Prize for Fiction
Presented by	Women's Prize for Fiction
Location	United Kingdom
First awarded	1996

The Women's Prize for Fiction is one of the most famous book awards in the United Kingdom. It is given every year to a female author for the best full-length novel written in English. The author can be from any country, but her book must have been published in the UK during the previous year.

Over the years, the prize has had different names based on its sponsors. You might have heard it called the Orange Prize or the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. A sponsor is a company that provides money to help run an event.

The prize was started in 1996 by a group of people in the book world, including writers, publishers, and librarians. One of the key founders was author Kate Mosse. They wanted to celebrate the amazing books written by women.

History of the Prize

Why was the prize created?

The idea for the prize came after the 1991 Booker Prize, another major book award, announced its shortlist. A shortlist is the small group of finalists for a prize. That year, all the authors on the Booker Prize shortlist were men.

Many people felt that talented female writers were being overlooked by major literary awards. The founders of the Women's Prize wanted to change that. They created the award to shine a spotlight on the creative and important work of women writers from all over the world.

Sponsors and Name Changes

The prize first launched in 1996 with help from Orange, a mobile phone company. For many years, it was known as the Orange Prize for Fiction.

In 2012, Orange ended its sponsorship. For a short time, the prize was supported by private individuals, including Cherie Blair. Then, from 2014 to 2017, the drink company Baileys became the sponsor, and it was called the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction.

Since 2018, the award has been known simply as the Women's Prize for Fiction. It is now supported by a group of different sponsors instead of just one main company.

How the Prize Works

The Judging Process

Each year, a group of five successful women are chosen to be the judges. They read all the books that are entered for the prize.

First, they announce a "longlist" of about 15-20 books around March. A few months later, in June, they narrow it down to a "shortlist" of six finalists. Finally, a few days after the shortlist is announced, they reveal the winner at a special ceremony.

What the Winner Receives

The author who wins the prize receives £30,000. She also gets a special bronze sculpture called the Bessie. The statue was created by the artist Grizel Niven.

In 2005, for the prize's 10th anniversary, the judges chose an "Orange of Oranges" winner. They picked Andrea Levy's novel Small Island as the best book to have won the prize in its first decade.

Why is the Prize Important?

The Women's Prize for Fiction is considered one of the top three literary awards in the UK, along with the Booker Prize and the Costa Book Awards. Winning or even just being nominated can have a huge impact on an author's career.

When a book is nominated, many more people hear about it and want to read it. This means book sales go up a lot. For example, when Helen Dunmore won the very first prize for A Spell of Winter, sales of her book quadrupled. After Andrea Levy won in 2004, her book Small Island sold nearly a million copies.

Libraries also use the prize to help readers discover new authors they might not have found otherwise.

Debates About the Prize

Even though the prize is very popular, it has also caused some debate. The main discussion is whether a prize just for women is needed.

When the prize was founded, some critics argued that it was unfair to exclude male writers. The famous author A. S. Byatt, who had won the Booker Prize, called it a "sexist prize," saying it was not necessary.

However, supporters of the prize argue that it is still very important. They believe it helps balance out other awards where women are sometimes underrepresented. They say the prize has successfully brought attention to many brilliant books that might have been ignored.

Notable Authors

• Barbara Kingsolver is the only author to have won the prize twice. She won in 2010 for The Lacuna and again in 2023 for Demon Copperhead.
• Margaret Atwood, a very famous Canadian author, has been on the shortlist three times but has never won.
• Hilary Mantel was also shortlisted three times without winning, even though two of her nominated books, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, both won the Booker Prize.

Winners and Nominees

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

See also

• Orange Award for New Writers
• List of British literary awards
• List of years in literature