The Booker Prize trophy: the story behind our distinctive statuette
The creator of children’s classics Meg and Mog, and Haunted House, Jan Pieńkowski also designed the Booker Prize trophy. Here is story behind the statuette.
The Booker Prize is the world’s leading literary award for a single work of fiction
Founded in the UK in 1969, the Booker Prize initially rewarded Commonwealth writers and now spans the globe: it is open to anyone regardless of origin.
Each year, the Booker Prize is awarded to what is, in the opinion of our judges, the best sustained work of fiction written in English and published in the UK and Ireland.
The winning book is a work that not only speaks to our current times, but also one that will endure and join the pantheon of great literature.
Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize 2022 for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Read more about it here. The winner of the Booker Prize 2023 will be announced on November 26, 2023.
With thousands of novels published each year, the Booker Prize has become a trusted kitemark of quality fiction, pointing readers towards the best of the best. The winner and the shortlisted authors are guaranteed a global readership and a life-changing increase in book sales. The winner of The Booker Prize also receives £50,000, with £2,500 awarded to each of the other shortlisted authors.
As an organisation, we exist to inspire people to read the world’s best new fiction, while providing fresh opportunities for readers to explore the hundreds of longlisted, shortlisted and winning titles in the Booker Library. We are driven by a simple belief – great fiction not only brings joy to millions, it has the power to change the way we think about the world we live in.
The prizes are supported by Crankstart.
Her Majesty The Queen Consort congratulates Shehan Karunatilaka after presenting him with the Booker Prize 2022 winner’s trophy
© David Parry/Booker Prize FoundationWatch our film
