We are beyond thrilled to announce the recipient for the Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award is BERNARDINE EVARISTO!
The award is a very special one-off to mark the 30th anniversary year of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, funded by Bukhman Philanthropies. The award celebrates Bernardine’s body of work, her transformative impact on literature and her unwavering dedication to uplifting under-represented voices across the cultural landscape.
Bernardine Evaristo is a celebrated author with a global reputation and is a passionate advocate for inclusivity in the arts. Her writing spans a wide range of genres, and she’s been recognised with over 90 awards, nominations, fellowships, and honours. Beyond her incredible literary achievements, Bernardine has led countless initiatives to tackle inequality in the creative world, inspiring new generations of writers and artists to embrace diversity and push for change.
The judging panel was chaired by novelist and non-fiction author Kate Mosse CBE, Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Kate was joined by a selection of former judges of the Women’s Prize for Fiction: Dame Gillian Beer, academic and writer; Scarlett Curtis, writer, activist and trustee of the Women’s Prize Trust board; Bonnie Greer OBE, playwright, author and critic; and Vick Hope, broadcaster and host of the Women’s Prize Bookshelfie podcast.
We felt that Bernardine Evaristo’s beautiful, ambitious and inventive body of work (which includes plays, poetry, essays, monologues and memoir as well as award-winning fiction), her dazzling skill and imagination, and her courage to take risks and offer readers a pathway into diverse and multifarious worlds over a forty-year career, made her the ideal recipient of the Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award. Significantly, Evaristo has consistently used her own magnificent achievements and exceptional talent as a springboard to create opportunities for others, to promote unheard and under-heard women’s voices and to ensure that every female writer feels she has a conduit for her talent. Congratulations to Bernardine and a huge thank you to my fellow judges for such a joyous and celebratory process.
Kate Mosse, Women’s Prizes Founder Director
Bukhman Philanthropies is very proud to be supporting the Women’s Prize Trust with this special award to commemorate its 30th anniversary. Bernardine Evaristo is a writer with a laudable career who is thoroughly deserving to be named the recipient. Through her groundbreaking work, she has brought to life stories that challenge, inspire, and transform, while tirelessly championing opportunities for women and marginalised voices. Her generosity, courage, and vision have reshaped the literary landscape, making her a beacon for the power of storytelling. This award honours Bernardine’s extraordinary achievements and her enduring impact on the world of books.
Daria Bukhman, Co-Founder and Chair of Bukhman Philanthropies
Books by Bernardine Evaristo
