We’re delighted to reveal the mighty Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 judging panels!
For the first time, we have TWO judging panels to announce, as we launch our Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction into it’s first year, and as the Women’s Prize for Fiction enters it’s 29th.
Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Judges
(L-R) Anne Sebba, Kamila Shamsie, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, Professor Nicola Rollock, Ventia La Manna
Chair of Non-Fiction Judges, historian and broadcaster Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by fair fashion campaigner Venetia La Manna; academic, author and consultant Professor Nicola Rollock; biographer and journalist Anne Sebba; and author and 2018 winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Kamila Shamsie.
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb commented, ‘Kate Mosse and I have long talked about the need for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction: the need to banish the lingering perception that non-fiction is men’s work by showing that authority and expertise are qualities that women possess in spades. This prize will shine a light on talented and often overlooked female writers creating brilliant, groundbreaking and revelatory work in genres that include history, science, philosophy, sport, nature, medicine, psychology and biography.’
Women’s Prize for Fiction Judges
(L-R) Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ, Indira Varma, Monica Ali, Laura Dockrill, Anna Whitehouse
Chair of Fiction Judges, author Monica Ali, will be joined by author Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ; author and illustrator Laura Dockrill; actor Indira Varma; and presenter and author Anna Whitehouse.
Monica Ali commented, ‘It’s a great honour to be chair of the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction. I’m excited to embark on this literary treasure hunt, and deeply curious about what I’ll learn in the process about how women writers are choosing to engage with the world right now. I’m looking forward to reading across a broad range of styles, stories and cultures, discovering what themes might emerge, and pinpointing those singular voices that really stand out from the crowd.’
Meet the judges and find out what they’ll be looking for in a winning book in our behind-the-scenes video, recorded at Groucho Club in Soho and Kindred London in Hammersmith here.
The Non-Fiction longlist will be announced on 15 Februray 2024 and the Fiction longlist will be announced on 5 March 2024 . Follow the judges’ journey @womensprize on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
