RTL Group | London, 11/12/2018

Fremantle Sponsors British Literature Prize for Women Authors

Fremantle is the new sponsor of the Women's Prize for Fiction alongside Bailey and NatWest. The Prize is endowed with £30,000 and is open to women only. Their works must be available in English. Penguin Random House authors have repeatedly been among the winners, most recently Kamila Shamsie in 2018.

Zadie Smith won it in 2006, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the following year, and Kamila Shamsie last year – the Women's Prize for Fiction. Endowed with £30,000, the literary award is among the most lucrative in the world – and its establishment in 1996 also sent out a signal: The year before, not a single woman had been shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. In protest against this, the Women's Prize for Fiction was created. And it is this very prize, which has so often been won by Penguin Random House authors – most recently in 2018 – that has found a new sponsor for the 2019 prize: Fremantle, the production arm of RTL Group.

Starting next year, the Women's Prize for Fiction will have three sponsors: the liqueur brand Baileys, which it was once named after, NatWest bank, and Fremantle. Joanna Prior, Managing Director of Penguin General and Chair of the Women's Prize for Fiction Board, said: “We are delighted to welcome Fremantle to our family of sponsors for The Women’s Prize for Fiction, joining Baileys and NatWest. Fremantle shares our vision and mission to support and celebrate women’s creativity, and their involvement helps to position the Prize and the books and authors it supports within the wider creative industries landscape.”

Sarah Doole, Director, Global Drama, Fremantle adds: “At Fremantle we are passionate about developing female storytellers in all their forms. We are incredibly proud of this opportunity to support and champion creativity in women around the world.”

The Women's Prize for Fiction is Britain’s only book award that exclusively honors the excellence of women writers. It is awarded annually. 2019 marks the 24th year of the Prize. It is awarded to the best novel written in English by a female author, whatever her nationality or country of residence.

The Women's Prize for Fiction 2019 will be awarded early this summer, following the announcement of the longlist on Mar 8 and the shortlist on Apr 29. On Jun 5, the 2019 winner will be announced in London, revealing who will follow in the footsteps of Kamila Shamsie, who won this year's award with “Home Fire.” As reported, her book was published in the U.S. by Penguin Random House.