Orange Prize for Fiction announces 2009 shortlist

Orange Prize for Fiction Awards Ceremony at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre: 3 June 2009

The Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman, today announces the 2009 shortlist. Now in its fourteenth year, the Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world.

The judges for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction are:

Fi Glover (Chair), Broadcaster Bidisha, Writer and Novelist Sarah Churchwell, Journalist and Academic Kira Cochrane, Journalist Martha Lane Fox, Entrepreneur

This year’s shortlist honours both new and well-established writers. Only one author, Deirdre Madden, has previously been shortlisted (1997).

“We have stretched our heads getting to this shortlist!” commented Fi Glover, Chair of judges. “We were right down to the wire on several of the books and choosing just six was far harder than I had imagined, but we all left the judging room proud of the list we have chosen.”

The Prize was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible and is awarded for the best novel of the year written by a woman.

The winner will be presented with a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze statue known as ‘the Bessie’, created by artist Grizel Niven. Both are anonymously endowed.

Free Shortlist Extracts to Your Mobile

Orange is partnering with mobile book specialist GoSpoken this year to offer free downloadable extracts of the shortlisted books direct to your mobile. Text extracts from all six shortlisted books will be available to download for free* from today by texting ‘prize’ to 60300 from any UK mobile.

“The relationship between Orange and the Prize has been hugely successful because of the way the relationship has evolved over the years,” said Ian Smith, Head of Partnerships at Orange. “It’s really exciting to be taking the shortlist this year to a new platform and making these fantastic books available to more readers than ever before through mobile technology.”

The award ceremony will take place in The Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, on 3 June 2009.

Previous winners are 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).

-ENDS-

For more information, to arrange an interview with Chair Fi Glover or to speak to the shortlisted authors, please contact:

Press Enquiries: Amanda Johnson or Naomi Li at M&C Saatchi: Tel: 020 7543 4689/0207 544 3687 or 07715 922 180/07837 252 397 Email: amanda.johnson@mcsaatchi.com or naomi.li@mcsaatchi.com

Or

CJ Stanley, Orange Tel: 07989 333 308 Email: cj.stanley@orange-ftgroup.com

Notes to Editors

• For non Orange customers, standard browsing rates may apply. Please check with your local operator to confirm.

Orange Prize for Fiction 2009 Dates for the Diary:

• Orange Readers’ Day at BCU The Conservatoire, Birmingham: 9 May
• Orange Award for New Writers and Anne Michaels event at Southbank Centre: 1 June
• Orange Prize Shortlist Readings at Southbank Centre: 2 June
• Orange Prize for Fiction awards ceremony in The Ballroom of the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre: 3 June

**About Orange **

Orange is a key brand of the France Telecom Group, providing mobile, broadband, fixed, business and entertainment services across Europe. It is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with more than 182 million customers on five continents.

In June, 2006, Orange became the single brand for mobile, broadband and multi-play offers. In addition, Orange Business Services became the new banner for business communications solutions. Orange Business Services is present in 166 countries with network reach in 220.

In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population. At the end of December 2008, Orange had about 17 million customers in the UK – 15.9 million active mobile customers and over one million fixed broadband customers.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited.

Further information about Orange can be found on the Orange website at www.orange.co.uk or the France Telecom group international website at www.orange.com and www.francetelecom.com

For further information, call the Orange press office on 0870 373 1500 or email: Orangepr@golinharris.com.

About GoSpoken GoSpoken.com is a leading provider of eBooks and audio books direct to mobile. Customers can browse, sample and purchase the latest and best selling audio and ebook content over the air to be consumed on their mobile.