Nigerian author Ayobami Adebayo is officially one of the judges for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction! We could not be excited for Adebayo’s achievement after she was longlisted for the Booker Prize this year.

The Women’s Prize for Fiction was established in 1996 to highlight and remedy the imbalance in coverage, respect, and reverence given to women writers versus their male peers, creating a platform for exceptional writing by women to shine. ThepPrize is awarded annually to the author of the best full-length novel of the year written in English and published in the UK. The winner receives £30,000 and the ‘Bessie’, a bronze statuette created by Grizel Niven.

The 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction panel is chaired by award-winning author Monica Ali. Along with Adebayo, the other judges include author, illustrator, scriptwriter and performance poet Laura Dockrill; actor Indira Varma; and campaigner, podcaster and author Anna Whitehouse (Mother Pukka).

Ironically, Adebayo’s debut novel Stay With Me was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction back in 2017. So, it is very exciting indeed that gets to return as judge this time!

Adebayo shared the news on Instagram, displaying joy at this upcoming opportunity:

I’m very thrilled to share that I’m a judge for the 2024 #WomensPrize for Fiction. I am excited for the journey ahead and stoked to be on the ride with fellow judges, #MonicaAli, @indiravarma, @mother_pukka and @lauraleedockrill . Keep an eye on @womensprize to find out more! Videos and photos shot at the lovely @thegrouchoclub in Soho.

Ayobami Adebayo is studied at Obafemi Awolowo University, earning BA and MA degrees in Literature in English. She went to study Creative Writing (MA Prose fiction) at the University of East Anglia, where she was awarded an International Bursary. She has also studied writing with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Margaret Atwood. Her 2017 debut novel, Stay With Me, won the 9mobile Prize for Literature and the Prix Les Afriques. She was awarded The Future Awards Africa Prize for Arts and Culture in 2017.

Congrats to Adebayo!