There’s less than a month to go until the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist is revealed. The judges have been hard at work reading this year’s submitted books, tasked with the enviable challenge of whittling them down to 16. The Women’s Prize longlist represents some of the best fiction written by women each year, featuring writers both new and established and spanning the broadest range of genres.

Mark your diaries for the 8th of March – International Women’s Day – to make sure you’re one of the first in the know! We’ve been told it’s a highlight of many a booklover’s annual calendar, so we asked some friends of the Women’s Prize to tell us why they look forward to the longlist announcement…

‘I always know I’m going to get a fabulous varied longlist of books from The Women’s Prize. I often discover new to me authors and get to try books I might not otherwise pick up, giving me a wealth, and breadth, of stories and perspectives to read and discuss. I get slightly giddy at the anticipation of what’s ahead each and every year.’ – Simon Savidge

“It is a personal beacon of hope”

Louise Savidge

‘The Women’s Prize has unleashed the voices of hundreds of female writers and thrust them onto the world stage. It is a personal beacon of hope, celebration and diversity to me and thousands of women. The long list is guaranteed to usher in a wealth of fabulous perspectives and house them in my brain! Just can’t wait…’ – Louise Savidge

‘The Women’s Prize longlist is always a sight for book lovers’ sore eyes! I’m always excited because I know I am in for a beautiful collection of amazingly written stories to keep me company for a few months. Women do amazing work in literature and this is such an amazing way to celebrate all their hard and beautiful work!’ – Jola Ayeye 

‘I always greatly anticipate the Women’s Prize longlist because I know it will direct me towards some excellent novels I’ve not come across before and inspire a lot of interesting discussion between readers I know.’ – Eric Karl Anderson

‘At the start of every year I look forward to the reveal of the Women’s Prize longlist. The excitement, the debates, discovering new books and championing ones I already love. Since I started following the prize, there’s not been a year where I haven’t discovered a new favourite via its longlist (even if that’s then led to heartbreak when it hasn’t been shortlisted!). Bring on Women’s Prize season!’ – Anna James

Don’t forget to sign up to the Women’s Prize newsletter to be the first in the know when the longlist is announced on the 8th March. We’re now on the final countdown, let us know your predictions for the Women’s Prize longlist on your social media channel of choice.