Bernardine Evaristo. Image: Women’s Prize Trust, Tom Jamieson
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Mosse: ‘A Beautiful, Ambitious Body of Work’
Today (June 4) in London, the author Bernardine Evaristo is being named the winner of the Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award.
That’s the 30th anniversary accolade of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Like other such book contests in the United Kingdom, the Women’s Prize has elected to celebrate, in this case, three decades of prizes with yet another prize. In this case the winner was chosen by a closed judging process.
The news is delivered by the Women’s Prize Trust, which runs the Women’s Prize program (now with both fiction and nonfiction winners annually).
The award carries a cash prize of £100,000 (US$135,270) and a sculptural work by Caroline Russell titled Thoughtful. These will be presented to Evaristo on June 12 at the Women’s Prize Trust summer party. Also honored at that event will be the winners of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the winner of the prize for nonfiction. Evaristo is also to be fêted at a dinner at the Doyle Collection’s Bloomsbury Hotel hosted by Harper’s Bazaar.
Evaristo will be adding this win to more than 90 awards, nominations, fellowships, and other honors she reportedly has received to date. And the jury’s selection of her as the recipient of the special award seems to have been based in part on her work in “initiatives to address inequities in the creative industries, inspiring future generations of writers and creatives to challenge the status quo and celebrate diversity.”
Today’s media messaging also points up “the charitable purpose of the Women’s Prize Trust and the founding principles of the Women’s Prize for Fiction: to celebrate and amplify women’s voices; to open the pathways into writing as a viable career choice for women from all backgrounds; and to shine a spotlight on exceptional, original books for readers to discover and enjoy,” values the panel deems well reflected in the output and character of Evaristo’s work.
That judging panel was chaired by Kate Mosse, the founding director of the Women’s Prizes for fiction and nonfiction.
Mosse was joined by former judges of the Women’s Prize for Fiction including academic and writer Gillian Beer; Women’s Prize Trust board member Scarlett Curtis; writer, activist and member of the Women’s Prize Trust board; Bonnie Greer, a playwright, author, and critic; and Vick Hope, a broadcaster and host of the Women’s Prize Bookshelfie podcast.
‘Our Own Worlds in the Mirror’
In a statement prepared for today’s announcement of Evaristo’s new win, Mosse is quoted, saying, “My fellow judges and I always knew it would be a tall order to choose just one author from the many exceptional contemporary writers who have made such a huge contribution …
Kate Mosse
“Books encourage empathy, they offer alternative and diverse points of view; they help us to stand in other people’s shoes and to see our own worlds in the mirror.
“In the end, we felt that Bernardine Evaristo’s beautiful, ambitious, and inventive body of work—which includes plays, poetry, essays, monologues, and memoir as well as fiction)—her dazzling skill and imagination, and her courage to take risks and offer readers a pathway into diverse and multifarious worlds over a 40-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.”
The special award is funded by Bukhman Philanthropies, founded by Dmitri and Daria Bukhman to support not only literary awards but also neonatal and maternity units, and young people.
Daria Bukhman
Co-founder Daria Bukhman has provided a quote in which she says, in part, that through Evaristo’s “groundbreaking work, she has brought to life stories that challenge, inspire, and transform, while tirelessly championing opportunities for women and marginalized voices.
“Her generosity, courage, and vision have reshaped the literary landscape, making her a beacon for the power of storytelling.
“This award honors Bernardine’s extraordinary achievements and her enduring impact on the world of books.”
More from Publishing Perspectives on international book and publishing awards programs is here. More from us on the Women’s Prize for Fiction is here, more on the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction is here, more on the United Kingdom’s book and publishing market is here.