Judges Announced for Orange Prize for Fiction 2012

Now in its seventeenth year, the Orange Prize for Fiction is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award for fiction written by a woman, celebrating excellence, innovation and accessibility and the best of outstanding international fiction in women’s writing.

The judges for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012 have been confirmed as:

Joanna Trollope, (Chair), Writer

Lisa Appignanesi, Writer, Novelist and Broadcaster

Victoria Derbyshire, Journalist and Broadcaster

Natalie Haynes, Writer and Broadcaster

Natasha Kaplinsky, Broadcaster

“This is a wonderful quartet of judges. Because of their different professions, they all have a different perspective on the power of language and ideas, and thus will bring energy and experience to our discussions.” commented, Joanna Trollope, “They are all extremely busy, so I am especially grateful to them all for agreeing to participate in judging this significant prize which has produced winners of true distinction and originality. I love the fact that it is generously and properly open to the world.”

Set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote international fiction by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible, the Orange Prize for Fiction is awarded for the best novel of the year written by a woman. Any woman writing in English – whatever her nationality, country of residence, age or subject matter – is eligible.

The winner will receive a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze figurine known as a ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven. Both are anonymously endowed.

Previous winners of the Orange Prize for Fiction are Helen Dunmore for A Spell of Winter (1996), Anne Michaels for Fugitive Pieces (1997), Carol Shields for Larry’s Party (1998), Suzanne Berne for A Crime in the Neighbourhood (1999), Linda Grant for When I Lived in Modern Times (2000), Kate Grenville for The Idea of Perfection (2001), Ann Patchett for Bel Canto (2002) Valerie Martin for Property (2003), Andrea Levy for Small Island (2004), Lionel Shriver for We Need to Talk about Kevin (2005), Zadie Smith for On Beauty (2006), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Half of a Yellow Sun (2007), Rose Tremain for The Road Home (2008), Marilyn Robinson for Home (2009), Barbara Kingsolver for The Lacuna (2010) and Téa Obreht for The Tiger’s Wife (2011).