The Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the English-speaking world, was awarded in November 2024.
Established in 1969, the prize is presented annually for a novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. It was originally created to encourage the reading of contemporary English fiction, in an effort to compete with the Prix Goncourt in France.
The award takes its name from its first sponsor, Booker McConnell Ltd. Over the years, it has become one of the most highly regarded literary prizes globally, with the power to transform an author’s career.
Each year, around 130 books are submitted for consideration. These are narrowed down to a longlist of 12 titles, then a shortlist of 6, before a final winner is selected.
It boasts a large prize, with the winner receiving £50,000 and the six shortlisted authors receiving £2,500 each. Winners and shortlisted authors are also guaranteed a global readership and can expect a dramatic increase in book sales.
The winner of the inaugural prize was P.H Newby in 1969, with his novel Something To Answer For. Since then, some of the world’s most acclaimed and celebrated writers have won the prize, including V.S. Naipaul, Iris Murdoch, William Golding, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Bernardine Evaristo and Hilary Mantel.
Notable recent winners and shortlisters include Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.
The judging panel consists of five members, who are appointed by the Booker Prize Foundation. Panelists typically include authors, publishers, journalists, politicians, actors, artists, and musicians. The 2024 Chair of judges was Edmund de Waal, an internationally acclaimed artist and writer.
This November, the 2024 Booker Prize was awarded to Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Described as “compact yet expansive” Harvey’s novel is a blend of science fiction and literary fiction that takes place across a single day aboard the International Space Station.
Orbital is unique win in that it is the first Booker-winning novel set in space, and at just 136 pages, it is the second-shortest book ever to win the prize. Harvey was previously longlisted for the Booker in 2009 for her debut novel, The Wilderness.
Orbital, along with the shortlist and longlist for the 2024 Booker Prize, can be found on the Booker Prize Website.
In addition to the Booker Prize, the Booker Foundation also presents the International Booker Prize, which honors a work of fiction translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.
Like the Booker Prize, the International Booker follows a similar structure: a longlist of 12 books, a shortlist of 6, and a final winner.
However, the International Booker also celebrates the vital role of translators, with the £50,000 prize money split equally between the author and the translator. Shortlisted authors and translators each receive £2,500.
The winner of the 2024 International Booker Prize was announced in April and went to Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann. Originally written in German, Kairos follows a destructive affair set in 1980s East Berlin.
Submissions for the 2025 International Booker Prize are now open here to books translated into English, and published in the UK or Ireland between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025.
Details for the 2025 Booker Prize have not yet been released.
