About us

We are driven by a simple belief that great fiction not only brings joy to millions, it has the power to change the way we think about the world and to connect people across cultures and generations. Our aim is to foster a love of reading, and to support writers and readers of the future.

As a registered charity, the Foundation is committed to ensuring that literature is a vital and inclusive part of the cultural landscape.  

Each year we award the Booker Prize and the International Booker Prize, two of the world’s most significant and influential awards for a single book. The prizes recognise exceptional works of fiction and elevate the voices of nominated authors and translators by bringing their work to a global readership. The winners can expect their career to be transformed.    

On 24 October 2025, we announced the Children’s Booker Prize supported by AKO Foundation, our new prize for children’s fiction. The prize, which will launch in 2026 and be awarded annually from 2027, will celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years old, written in or translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. Our aim is to engage and grow a new generation of readers by recognising and championing the best children’s fiction from writers around the world.

The Foundation’s support for writers extends further through initiatives such as the University of East Anglia (UEA) Booker Prize Foundation Scholarship, awarded annually to a student on the Creative Writing MA at UEA – many recipients of which have gone on to achieve literary success. And through PEN Presents x the International Booker Prize, which supports and funds translators from the Global Majority, who are currently chronically underrepresented in the UK publishing landscape.  

The Booker Prize Foundation also works to widen access to literature through its prison reading programme, Books Unlocked, delivered with the National Literacy Trust, which takes Booker nominated titles, authors and resources into prisons. And through the funding of Braille and audio editions of Booker Prize books in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).  

As a charity we value the support of those who believe in the transformative power of great storytelling. There are different ways in which you can support our work. To discover more please contact our Director of Development Chloe Brand at [email protected]