This evening, The Women's Prize Trust has announced the longlist for the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction. Sponsored by Audible and Baileys, the prize which celebrates outstanding original fiction written in English by women from around the world is in its 29th year. 

The Women's Prize Trust is a UK charity that creates equitable opportunities for women in the world of books and just last month announced their first longlist for inaugural Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. 

The 2024 fiction longlist features eight debut novels which means that this year, debut authors make up half of the nominees. Alongside these debut authors are four authors who have previously published one novel and four writers who have multiple books to their name. This year we also see past winner Kate Grenville and past longlist and shortlisted authors Anne Enright and V.V. Ganeshananthan.

This year's chair of judges is Monica Ali, and she is joined on the judging panel by author Ayọb̀ ámi Adébáyọ; actor Indira Varma; author and illustrator Laura Dockrill; and presenter and author Anna Whitehouse. 

Referring to this year's longlist, Monica Ali said: ‘With the strength and vitality of contemporary women’s fiction very much in evidence, reading the entries for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction has been a joyful experience. Of course this made it all the more difficult to select the longlist, but after much lively discussion amongst the judges we are delighted with the 16 titles selected. Each one of these books is brilliant, original and utterly unputdownable. Collectively, they offer a wide array of compelling narratives from around the world, written with verve, wit, passion and compassion. They are books that will engage readers’ hearts and minds, they are filled with indelible characters, and they do what stories can do so powerfully: unsettle and disturb as well as surprise and delight.’

This year's longlist for The Women's Prize for Fiction is globe-spanning, location-moving and time-hopping. Of the 16 longlisted authors there are five who are British, three Americans, three Irish, one Barbadian, one South Korean, one Australian, one Ghanaian and one French/American.

Themes within this year's longlist include the emotional impact of immigration with several of the books dealing with the narratives we create for ourselves when we feel as though we don't belong. The longlist also explores trauma, madness and resilience; the relationship between art and politics; love in all its guises and sisterhood; motherhood and autonomy; climate change; Capitalism's false promise and more. 

So, without further ado scroll down to discover this year's Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist:

Hangman by Maya Binyam

In Defence of the Act by Effie Black

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott

The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright

The Maiden by Kate Foster

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville

Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammand

Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy

8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee

The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen World

Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie

Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure

A Trace of Sun by Pam Williams

The judges will now narrow down the longlist to create a shortlist of 6 which will be announced on the 24th April. The winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction will be awarded on Thursday 13th June at the Women's Prize Trust's summer party in central London. The winner will receive a cheque for £30,000 as well as the limited edition bronze statuette known as 'Bessie' created and donated by artist Grizel Niven.