New Writers

The Orange Award for New Writers was launched in 2005 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Orange Prize supported by the Arts Council who funded a bursary of £10,000 for the winner. The Award ran for six years until 2010.

The emphasis of the Award was on emerging talent and the evidence of future potential. All first works of fiction – including novels, short story collections and novellas, written in English by a woman of any age or nationality and published as a book in the UK – were eligible. First time authors could be entered for both the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Award for New Writers in any one year.

The Arts Council England partnered with Orange for six years providing a bursary of £10,000 per year to the winner of the Orange Award for New Writers. By offering a bursary to a novelist or short story writer for her first publication, the Arts Council was able to support the professional development of the winning writer at a crucial stage in her career.

Diana Evans took the first ever Orange Award for New Writers in 2005 for her debut novel, 26A. She subsequently went on to win the Decibel Award 2006 at the British Book Awards and was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award 2005. Naomi Alderman won the Orange Award for New Writers in 2006 and has since gone on to win The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year (2007) for her first novel, Disobedience.

Canadian writer, Karen Connelly, took the Award in 2007 for her novel, The Lizard Cageand Joanna Kavenna won the Award in 2008 for her debut novel, Inglorious.

Francesca Kay took the Award in 2009 for her first work, An Equal Stillness and debut Zimbabwean writer, Irene Sabatini, won in 2010 for The Boy Next Door.

Winners, Shortlists and Judges

2010 WINNER

  • The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini

2010 SHORTLIST

  • The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale
  • After The Fire, A Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld

2010 JUDGES

  • Di Speirs (Chair), Editor – Readings, BBC Radio 4
  • Rachel Cooke, Writer and Columnist, The Observer
  • Bernardine Evaristo, Novelist, critic and winner of the 2009 Orange Prize Youth Panel award for Blonde Roots

2009 WINNER

  • An Equal Stillness by Francesca Kay

2009 SHORTLIST

  • Miles From Nowhere by Nami Mun
  • The Personal History of Rachel DuPree by Ann Weisgarber

2009 JUDGES

  • Mishal Husain (Chair), Presenter, BBC World News
  • Diana Evans, Author and winner of the inaugural Orange Award for New Writers
  • Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent, Evening Standard

2008 WINNER

  • Inglorious by Joanna Kavenna

2008 SHORTLIST

  • The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
  • The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam by Lauren Liebenberg

2008 JUDGES

  • Shami Chakrabarti (Chair), Director of Liberty
  • Clare Allan, Novelist
  • Suzi Feay, Literary Editor of Independent on Sunday

2007 WINNER

  • The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly

2007 SHORTLIST

  • Poppy Shakespeare by Clare Allan
  • Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki

2007 JUDGES

  • Jackie Kay, (Chair) Poet and Novelist
  • Katie Owen, Deputy Literary Editor of The Sunday Telegraph
  • Naomi Alderman, Novelist and winner of the Orange Award for New Writers 2006

2006 WINNER

  • Disobedience by Naomi Alderman

2006 SHORTLIST

  • The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin
  • A Thousand Years of Good Prayers by Yiyun Li

2006 JUDGES

  • Louise Doughty, Author (Chair)
  • Catherine Lockerbie, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival
  • Stephanie Merritt, Journalist

2005 WINNER

  • 26a by Diana Evans

2005 SHORTLIST

  • Lucky Girls by Nell Freudenberger
  • How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

2005 JUDGES

  • Kamila Shamsie, Author (Chair)
  • Alex Clark, Freelance literary journalist and broadcaster
  • Margaret Busby, Publisher

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