The Man Booker International Prize 2010

Man Booker International Judges Announced

The Man Booker International Prize 2011

Gekoski to chair 2011 Prize

3 March 2010

The judges for the 2011 Man Booker International Prize are announced today, Wednesday 3 March, 2010. Chaired by writer, academic and rare-book dealer Dr. Rick Gekoski, this eminent panel consists of publisher, writer and critic, Carmen Callil, and award-winning novelist, Justin Cartwright. Described by the Observer as "an ever more competent alternative to the Nobel", the Prize has rapidly established itself as a leading accolade in the world literature arena.

Fiammetta Rocco, administrator of the prize, comments:

"The three judges of the 2011 Man Booker International Prize are drawn from the world of letters around the globe. Between them they have a lifetime's experience as writers, editors, publishers, academics and scholars, as well as readers, and will bring considerable knowledge, enthusiasm and a high standard of excellence to the task before them."

The Man Booker International Prize recognizes one writer for his or her achievement in fiction. Worth £60,000 to the winner, the prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language.

The winner is chosen solely at the discretion of the judging panel; there are no submissions from publishers. Alice Munro won the 2009 prize, Chinua Achebe the 2007 prize and Ismail Kadaré the inaugural prize in 2005. In addition, there is a separate award for translation and, if applicable, the winner can choose a translator of his or her work into English to receive a prize of £15,000.

The judges' list of finalists, approximately fifteen writers under serious consideration for the prize, will be announced in spring 2011. The winner of the next Man Booker International Prize will be announced in early summer 2011. The prize will be presented at an awards ceremony in July 2011.

The prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also sponsors the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

The Man Booker International Prize is significantly different from the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction in that it highlights one writer's overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. In seeking out literary excellence the judges consider a writer's body of work rather than a single novel.

For more information about the Man Booker International Prize 2011 please read the press release in our Media Centre.

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