The Women’s Prize for Fiction is now widely regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in literature. Founded in 1996 by author Kate Mosse, it was created to celebrate and champion women’s writing after years of underrepresentation at major literary prizes such as the Booker Prize. Previous winners include Margaret Atwood, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Zadie Smith.
The 2026 shortlist was announced in April, featuring titles such as Susan Choi’s Flashlight, Addie E. Citchens’ Dominion and Lily King’s Heart the Lover. After months of anticipation, the prize has now been awarded to Virginia Evans’s The Correspondent – a personal favourite of mine that I’ve been enthusiastically recommending to just about everyone.
