An evening exploring the richness of women’s writing, curated by one of the UK’s most celebrated writers and literary figures, Bernardine Evaristo, as the recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Outstanding Contribution Award. Bringing together established writers alongside exciting new voices, the evening features readings performed by acclaimed actors and performers, bringing these words vividly to life on stage.

The evening offers audiences the chance to encounter new writing, hear powerful stories brought to life, and discover the breadth of voices shaping contemporary literature. Moments of humour, reflection, insight and surprise will weave through the evening, creating a truly special, one-off experience.

Bernardine Evaristo is the Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other and Mr Loverman, as well as the memoir Manifesto: On Never Giving Up. Her work spans fiction, poetry and criticism across a career of more than 40 years. In 2022, she became President of the Royal Society of Literature – the first writer of colour and second woman to hold the role – and she is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London. A longstanding advocate for inclusion, she has championed Black British writing throughout her career.

One of the most prestigious literary awards in the UK, the Women’s Prize for Fiction was established in 1996 to counter the notoriously male-dominated shortlists of other literary prizes. Winning novels such as On Beauty, The Song of Achilles, Home, Half of a Yellow Sun and Hamnet have gone on to become modern classics, cementing the Women’s Prize for Fiction as a leading authority in contemporary writing. 2026 will be the third year of the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, after Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger won the inaugural prize in 2024.

The Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award was a one-off literary honour marking the 30th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2025. 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.