Launched in 1996, the prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women's writing from throughout the world.

More information about the Orange Prize can be found at http://www.orangeprize.co.uk.

2011 Winners

Serbian/American author Téa Obreht has won the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction with her debut novel THE TIGER'S WIFE (Random House). At 25, Obreht is the youngest-ever author to take the Prize.

At an awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, on June 8 --- hosted by Orange Prize for Fiction Co-Founder and Honorary Director, Kate Mosse --- the 2011 Chair of Judges, Bettany Hughes, presented the author with the £30,000 prize and the 'Bessie', a limited edition bronze figurine. The judges praised THE TIGER'S WIFE as evidence of a "truly exciting" new literary talent. "It is a very brave book," said Bettany Hughes. "We were looking for a book that had some kind of alchemy, that changed us as readers and changed the way we thought about the world and THE TIGER'S WIFE certainly does that. It is a very special book." Hughes called the final decision, which was not unanimous, a difficult one, with a Tuesday-night judging panel session lasting more than four hours.

2011 Shortlist

The Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK's only annual book award for fiction written by a woman, announced the 2011 shortlist on April 12. Celebrating its 16th anniversary this year, the Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women's writing from throughout the world.

The Prize was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction by women to the widest range of readers possible. The winner will be presented with £30,000 and a limited edition bronze statue known as 'the Bessie', created by artist Grizel Niven. The Awards Ceremony will be held in London at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre on June 8, 2011.

The shortlist for the 2011 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction is:

ROOM by Emma Donoghue (Picador)
THE MEMORY OF LOVE by Aminatta Forna (Bloomsbury)
GRACE WILLIAMS SAYS IT LOUD by Emma Henderson (Sceptre)
GREAT HOUSE by Nicole Krauss (Viking)
THE TIGER'S WIFE by Téa Obreht (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
ANNABEL by Kathleen Winter (Jonathan Cape)