Francesca Kay wins the 2009 Orange Award for New Writers
http://www.orangeprize.co.uk/

19.00pm, London, 3 June 2009 – British debut author Francesca Kay has won the 2009 Orange Award for New Writers with her novel An Equal Stillness (Weidenfeld & Nicolson).

Chair of Judges, Mishal Husain, presented the £10,000 bursary, provided by Arts Council England, to the author at the Orange Prize for Fiction awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London.

Mishal Husain, Chair of Judges said: “Francesca Kay’s achievement in this astonishing debut novel is to use her words as a paintbrush, rendering the art and life of a brilliant artist, Jennet Mallow, in vivid colours on the page.”
She continues,” This is a story of genius amid domesticity that will resonate with readers on a fundamental level. We’re thrilled to recommend this book and are excited to see what Francesca Kay does next.”

Launched in 2005 as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations for the Orange Prize for Fiction, the emphasis of the Orange Award for New Writers is on emerging talent and the evidence of future potential.
All first works of fiction - including novels, short story collections and novellas, written in English by a woman of any age or nationality and published as a book in the UK - are eligible. First time authors can be entered for both the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Award for New Writers in any one year.

The judges for the 2009 Orange Award for New Writers are:
Mishal Husain (Chair), Presenter, BBC World News
Diana Evans, Author and winner of the inaugural Orange Award for New Writers Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent, Evening Standard

The winner of the inaugural Orange Award for New Writers in 2005 was Diana Evans for her novel 26a. Since her win, Diana has gone on to achieve notable success in a number of other literary awards.* Naomi Alderman took the award the following year for her novel Disobedience and has since gone on to win The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year (2007). Canadian writer Karen Connelly took the Award in 2007 for her novel The Lizard Cage and Joanna Kavenna won in 2008 for her first novel, s. Inglorious

The Award was launched in 2005 in partnership with Arts Council England. Renewing their commitment to the partnership with Orange, Arts Council England recently committed a further £30,000 towards bursary awards for the winners of the Orange Award for New Writers.

By offering a bursary to a novelist or short story writer for her first publication, the Arts Council is able to support the professional development of a writer at a crucial stage in her career.