Thursday 1st March 2018: The Women’s Prize for Fiction – one of the biggest international celebrations of women’s creativity in the world – today announces the partners that will be supporting the 2018 Prize.
The Prize – which from this year will revert in title to the ‘Women’s Prize for Fiction’ – is delighted to announce the partners for the 2018 Prize. They are:
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 8th March; International Women’s Day 2018.
The Women’s Prize for Fiction is also pleased to announce a number of new appointments to its Board.
Alison Barrow, PR Director at Transworld Publishers, Director of Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, Sandeep Mahal and Global Director of Digital Marketing at BBC Worldwide, Anna Rafferty have joined the Prize Board with immediate effect.
They join existing members; Joanna Prior, Managing Director of Penguin General Books (Chair of the Board), literary agent, Felicity Blunt (Company Secretary), Annie Coleman, Global Head of Culture and Client Marketing for UBS Investment Bank, retail entrepreneur Harriet Hastings (Managing Director), businesswoman Karen Jones CBE, Director of Communications and Marketing for Creative Skillset, Louise Jury and Syl Saller, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo. Kate Mosse attends the Board as WPFF Founder Director.
The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s only annual book award for writing by women celebrating excellence, originality and accessibility. Established in 1996, to celebrate and promote international fiction written by women in English to the widest range of readers possible, the Prize 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. 2018 marks the 23rd year of the Prize.
The 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction will be awarded on June 6th 2018 at an awards ceremony in central London. The winner will receive an anonymously endowed cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze figurine known as a ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven.
Previous winners are Naomi Alderman for The Power (2017), Lisa McInerney for The Glorious Heresies (2016), Ali Smith for How to be Both (2015), Eimear McBride for A Girl is a Half-formed Thing (2014), A.M. Homes for May We Be Forgiven (2013), Madeline Miller for The Song of Achilles (2012), Téa Obreht for The Tiger’s Wife (2011), Barbara Kingsolver for The Lacuna (2010), Marilynne Robinson for Home (2009), Rose Tremain for The Road Home (2008), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Half of a Yellow Sun (2007), Zadie Smith for On Beauty (2006), Lionel Shriver for We Need to Talk About Kevin (2005), Andrea Levy for Small Island (2004), Valerie Martin for Property (2003), Ann Patchett for Bel Canto (2002), Kate Grenville for The Idea of Perfection (2001), Linda Grant for When I Lived in Modern Times (2000), Suzanne Berne for A Crime in the Neighbourhood (1999), Carol Shields for Larry’s Party (1998), Anne Michaels for Fugitive Pieces (1997), and Helen Dunmore for A Spell of Winter (1996).
For the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2018, novels must be published in the UK between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018. The Prize is administered by the Society of Authors.
www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk
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For press enquiries, please contact Amanda Johnson:
Email: amanda@amandajohnsonpr.com
Mobile: 07715 922 180
NOTES TO EDITORS
KEY DATES
Women’s Prize for Fiction
About BAILEYS
BAILEYS was the world’s first cream liqueur, the perfect balancing act of aged Irish whiskey woven with fresh Irish dairy cream, a hint of cocoa and vanilla. It’s also the world’s biggest seller, with over 82 million bottles sold worldwide each year. Every minute of every day over 2000 people around the world are enjoying a BAILEYS. The BAILEYS word and associated logos are trademarks.
About Diageo:
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is a global company, and its products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO).
For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
About Deloitte
In this press release references to “Deloitte” are references to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”) a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTTL and its member firms.
Deloitte LLP is a subsidiary of Deloitte NWE LLP, which is a member firm of DTTL, and is among the UK’s leading professional services firms.
About NatWest
NatWest serves customers in England and Wales supporting them with their personal, private and business banking needs, and supports large corporates in Western Europe. Alongside a wide range of banking services, NatWest offers businesses specialist sector knowledge in areas such as manufacturing and technology, as well as access to specialist entrepreneurial support.
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