Prize history

In January 1992, a group of men and women involved in publishing - journalists, reviewers, agents, publishers, librarians, booksellers - met to decide if there was any way to widen the net and to try to introduce a prize that would be less traditional and that would put readers at the centre.

We were concerned that many of the biggest literary prizes often appeared to overlook wonderful writing by women. Since prizes are one key to bringing writers to readers' attention, we thought that both male and female readers might be missing out on fantastic novels by women that they'd really enjoy.

After a period of research, the committee started to draw up rules and think about the difficult issue of money.

We approached Orange in autumn 1995, having already secured endowment of the prize money itself and a work of art - the Bessie - to be presented to each year's winner, in recognition of the generosity of the anonymous donor.

Of that original committee, four women are still involved: Honorary Director and author Kate Mosse, agent Jane Gregory, publisher Susan Sandon and Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction Project Director Harriet Hastings.

Orange - with the flare and innovative approach to investment in the arts in Britain, which has characterized all their cultural partnerships since then - decided to sponsor the Orange Prize for Fiction, attracted as much by the educational and lifelong learning initiatives that were planned to run parallel to the main prize. Over a matter of weeks at Christmas 1995, arrangements were made.

The prize was announced at the ICA in January 1996 and, after five months of hectic journalistic attack and counter-attack, the first Orange Prize for Fiction was awarded to Helen Dunmore in May for her outstanding A Spell of Winter.

Since then, the Prize has established itself as a highlight of the literary calendar, with news of our longlists, shortlists and winning books eagerly anticipated by male and female readers alike

Kate Mosse, Co-Founder & Honorary Director the Orange Prize for Fiction, author of Labyrinth and Sepulchre.

previous winners