The Women’s Prize Trust – the UK charity which creates equitable opportunities for women in the world of books – today announces Bernardine Evaristo as the recipient of the Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award, a one-off literary honour marking the 30th anniversary year of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. This prestigious accolade, funded by Bukhman Philanthropies, celebrates Bernardine’s body of work, her transformative impact on literature and her unwavering dedication to uplifting under-represented voices across the cultural landscape.

Bernardine Evaristo is an internationally acclaimed author and advocate for inclusivity in the arts. She has published works across many different genres of writing, receiving over 90 awards, nominations, fellowships and honours to date. In addition to her literary and professional success, she has spearheaded innumerable initiatives to address inequities in the creative industries, inspiring future generations of writers and creatives to challenge the status quo and celebrate diversity.

Her activism began over forty years ago, when she co-founded Britain’s first black women’s theatre company. Since then, she has launched several successful writing schemes designed to support women writers and under-represented writers of colour.

These include The Complete Works mentoring scheme for 30 poets (2007–2017), many of whom are now leading figures in British poetry; the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (2012–2022), which helped change the global African poetry landscape; the Sky Arts/ RSL Writers' Awards, a mentoring scheme for women (2021 & 2022); and the annual RSL Scriptorium Awards (2025–), offering her seaside cottage to 10 writers a year as a retreat. She co-founded Spread the Word literature development agency in 1995, providing support for marginalised communities, and in 2022 was elected as President of the Royal Society of Literature, becoming the first writer of colour and only the second woman to hold the position in the Society’s 200-year history.

To celebrate the announcement we're running a giveaway, giving one lucky reader the chance to win a bundle of Bernardine Evaristo's books. Click here to find out how to enter.

What is the Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award?

The Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award is designed to reflect the charitable purpose of the Women’s Prize Trust and the founding principles of the Women’s Prize for Fiction: to celebrate and amplify women’s voices; to open the pathways into writing as a viable career choice for women from all backgrounds; and to shine a spotlight on exceptional, original books for readers to discover and enjoy.

As the recipient of the Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award, Evaristo will receive £100,000 prize money and a special sculpture named ‘Thoughtful’ by Caroline Russell MRSS, both of which will be presented on 12 June at the Women’s Prize Trust’s summer party in London, alongside the winners of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Evaristo will also be the guest of honour at a dinner at the Doyle Collection’s Bloomsbury Hotel hosted by Harper’s Bazaar.

Commenting on the award, Bernardine Evaristo said: ‘I am completely overwhelmed and overjoyed to receive this unique award. I feel such deep gratitude towards the Women's Prize for honouring me in this way. Over the last three decades, I have witnessed with great admiration and respect how the Women’s Prize for Fiction has so bravely and brilliantly championed and developed women's writing, always from an inclusive stance. The financial reward comes as an unexpected blessing in my life, and given the mission of the Women’s Prize Trust, it seems fitting that I spend this substantial sum supporting other women writers; more details on this will be forthcoming.’

The judging panel was chaired by novelist and non-fiction author Kate Mosse CBE, Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.

Kate was joined by a selection of former judges of the Women’s Prize for Fiction: Dame Gillian Beer, academic and writer; Scarlett Curtis, writer, activist and trustee of the Women’s Prize Trust board; Bonnie Greer OBE, playwright, author and critic; and Vick Hope, broadcaster and host of the Women’s Prize Bookshelfie podcast.

The Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award is funded by Bukhman Philanthropies, a registered UK charity with a commitment to creating meaningful social change. The diverse philanthropic aspirations of its founders, Dmitri and Daria Bukhman, includes supporting literature and writers, as well as neonatal and maternity units, and children and young people. By elevating the voices of authors through philanthropy, Bukhman Philanthropies aims to nurture creative and critical thinking, fostering diverse perspectives and enriching our cultural landscape.

Who was eligible for the Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award?

Authors who had been previously longlisted, shortlisted or had won the Women’s Prize for Fiction over the past three decades, and had published a minimum of five books,were eligible for the award. The recipient was selected via a closed judging process.

Kate Mosse, Women’s Prizes Founder Director, said: 'My fellow judges and I always knew it would be a tall order to choose just one author from the many exceptional contemporary writers who have made such a huge contribution in a world where women's voices are increasingly being silenced, where the arts and artists are under attack. Books encourage empathy, they offer alternative and diverse points of view; they help us to stand in other people's shoes and to see our own worlds in the mirror.

In the end, we felt that Bernardine Evaristo's beautiful, ambitious and inventive body of work (which includes plays, poetry, essays, monologues and memoir as well as award-winning fiction), her dazzling skill and imagination, and her courage to take risks and offer readers a pathway into diverse and multifarious worlds over a forty-year career, made her the ideal recipient of the Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award. Significantly, Evaristo has consistently used her own magnificent achievements and exceptional talent as a springboard to create opportunities for others, to promote unheard and under-heard women's voices and to ensure that every female writer feels she has a conduit for her talent. Congratulations to Bernardine and a huge thank you to my fellow judges for such a joyous and celebratory process.'

Feature Image Credit: Bernardine Evaristo 2020 © Tom Jamieson

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