The Women’s Prize for Fiction announces 2018 partners

Last year, the Women’s Prize for Fiction  announced it would be adopting a new sponsorship model from 2018 that would see the Prize supported by a family of sponsors –and today we’re delighted to announce the partners for this year’s Prize! They are:

• Baileys; the world’s bestselling cream liqueur, which held the title sponsorship of the Prize from 2013 – 2017
• Deloitte; a leading professional services firm, providing audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services
• NatWest; one of the UK’s leading personal, private and business banks

Commenting on the announcement, Joanna Prior, Chair of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Board said, “We are thrilled to announce our 2018 partners today – it’s been a hard secret to keep! It’s exciting and inspiring to bring together the teams at Deloitte and NatWest who – together with our former headline sponsor, Baileys – each share our ambition to celebrate women’s voices and creativity. Working together in this collective way will give the Prize a secure platform to showcase and celebrate fiction by women and take books written by women to wider audiences than ever before.”

Prize spokesperson and Founder Director, novelist Kate Mosse added, “It will be wonderful to have the input and energies of new partners, to help us continue to develop and grow the Prize into one of the most powerful platforms celebrating women’s voices in the world.”

In May 2017, the Prize announced it would be adopting a new sponsorship model from 2018 that would see the Prize supported by a family of sponsors, a group of leading brands and businesses from different sectors, rather than by a single title sponsor, and that Baileys, which held the title sponsorship from 2013 – 2017, would be part of this family of sponsors.

Deloitte and NatWest join Baileys to form the 2018 Prize partners.

Syl Saller, CMO of Diageo, says: “We are delighted to be working again with the Women’s Prize for Fiction.  Diageo believes in the power of celebrating female talent as a way of encouraging gender equality.  Baileys, as a brand that resonates with so many women, is proud to be sponsoring the Prize and encouraging that deliciously indulgent combination of a Baileys and good book.”

Emma Codd, Managing Partner for Talent at Deloitte, said, “We are delighted to sponsor the Women’s Prize for Fiction. It’s a privilege to celebrate the female authors nominated and support their creativity. The active participation of women in fiction and the success they are clearly achieving echoes our own agenda to increase diversity of thought and gender equality.”

Alison Rose, CEO of Commercial & Private Banking, NatWest, said: “I am delighted that by sponsoring the prestigious Women’s Prize for Fiction, NatWest will be giving women the chance to let their creativity shine and their voices be heard. At NatWest we are committed to ensuring women thrive in business and I am excited that we will now be helping them thrive in the literary world. We can’t wait to showcase and celebrate the hugely talented female novelists who are nominated for the 2018 prize.”

The judges for the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction are Sarah Sands, (Chair) Editor of the Today Programme, Anita Anand, radio and television journalist; Katy Brand, writer, comedian and actor; Catherine Mayer, journalist, author and co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party and actress Imogen Stubbs.

The longlist for the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction will be revealed on Thursday 8^th March; International Women’s Day 2018.

Excited about our new partners? Join in the conversation on Twitter or Instagram @WomensPrize.