London: Indian-origin author Shrabani Basu and broadcaster Reeta Chakrabarti were unveiled Wednesday as part of the judging panel of the 2027 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction worth 30,000 pounds in London.
The prestigious annual prize, which also includes a Fiction category worth the same prize money, celebrates exceptional narrative non-fiction written by female thought-leaders, changemakers and experts.
The winner will also receive a limited-edition artwork known as the ‘Charlotte’, created by artist Ann Christopher and gifted by the Charlotte Aitken Trust.
As a non-fiction author myself, I love this prize because it gives a fantastic space for women to be recognised in this genre, said Basu, the India-born author of ‘Spy Princess The Life of Noor Inayat Khan’ and ‘Victoria and Abdul The Extraordinary True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant’.
It’s a great experience as I am reading some fascinating books, discovering subjects I may not normally have been drawn to. There’s everything, from history and politics to science, tech and memoirs.
It is pretty intense, and for the next few months you’ll find me nose-deep in a book. I can’t wait to reveal the longlist, she said.
The London-based historian joins Chakrabarti, a prominent London-born BBC journalist of Indian heritage, on a panel made up of writer and disability advocate Sophie Morgan and psychotherapist Emma Reed Turrell, and chaired by lexicographer Susie Dent.
Women’s non-fiction writing is all too often overlooked and undervalued and, together with my fellow judges, I look forward to amplifying the voices of those whose experience, wisdom, and expertise can enrich us all, said Dent.
The 2027 non-fiction longlist will be announced February 10 and the shortlist April 7. The coinciding fiction longlist is set for a March 10 unveiling, with the shortlist out April 28. Winners of both the fiction and non-fiction prizes would be revealed at the charity’s summer party in London June 17, 2027.
The Women’s Prize for Fiction will be chaired by Merve Emre, scholar, critic, editor and professor and joined by Charlotte Collins, broadcaster and podcast host; Esther Freud, novelist and playwright; Theresa Lola, poet, writer and artist; and Eimear McBride, novelist and writer.
Claire Shanahan, Executive Director of the Women’s Prize Trust, added These judges understand the brief entirely to collectively select 32 exceptional books and create the ultimate reading list; to celebrate the talented writers behind the books; and to help place their writing into the hands of millions of readers around the world.
This speaks to the heart of the Women’s Prize Trust’s mission, and our belief in the power of women’s voices to entertain, to inform and to inspire change.
Besides the cash prize, the winner of the fiction prize receives a limited-edition bronze statuette known as the ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven.