Booker Prize shortlist 2021: who are nominees, when is winner announced, and what is the prize money?

The 2021 Booker Prize for Fiction winner will be announced on Wednesday 3 November during a ceremony at the BBC Radio Theatre, hosted by British journalist Samira Ahmed.

The shortlist was announced on 14 September with six authors in the running to win the £50,000 prize.

This year’s nominees include both well-established and new writers, all with a huge amount of talent.

What are the six books shortlisted?

‘The Promise’ by Damon Galgut

The new novel charts the decline of a white family during South Africa’s transition out of Apartheid.

It is the favourite to win the prize with betting firm Smarkets giving it odds of 2/1. Galgut has previously been shortlisted for the prize twice before.

‘No One Is Talking About This’ by Patricia Lockwood

Lockwood’s debut novel encompasses all the ups and downs of online life as the famous protagonist explores the world.

This novel was also shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

‘Bewilderment’ by Richard Powers

A climate crisis novel focusing on an astrobiologist and his son, and the power of imagination.

This is Powers’ 13th novel.

‘A Passage North’ by Anuk Arudpragasam

A novel set in Sri Lanka following the end of the Civil War, focusing on conflict and war.

The novel was first published in the U.S. and India.

‘The Fortune Men’ by Nadifa Mohamed

The novel shines a light on recent British history - the real-life story of the Somali seaman who was wrongfully executed for murder in Wales.

‘The Great Circle’ by Maggie Shipstead

This New York Times bestseller maps the lives of a fearless female aviator and an actor who portrays her on screen decades later.

How can I watch the award ceremony?

The 2021 Booker Prize ceremony will be broadcast live from the BBC Radio’s Theatre on Wednesday 3 November from 7:15-8pm GMT.

You can either watch it live online through the BBC website or listen to the ceremony in a special BBC Radio Four Front Row programme.

If you are in the UK and Ireland you can watch it live on the BBC News Channel, which can be found at Freeview channel 107/231, Sky channel 503, Virgin Media channel 601 and Freest channel 200.

After the broadcast you can catch up on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

What will the ceremony include?

This year’s ceremony has partnered with the BBC to produce six short films for the shortlisted books.

These short films will feature online and in the ceremony.

The films are created by three new directors Yero Timi-Bui, Liam Young and Christine Ubochi, who are graduates of New Creative - a scheme funded by Arts Council England and BBC Arts to highlight the best of upcoming film and TV talent.

Who are this year’s judges?

Maya Jasanoff: a professor at Harvard, where she holds named chairs in History and in the Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Rowan Williams: born in Wales and is a theological writer, scholar and teacher.

Natasha McElhone: a film and theatre actor.

Chigozie Obioma: named one of Foreign Policy magazine’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers in 2015, after the huge impact of his debut novel.

Horatia Harrod: an editor at the Financial Times Weekend.

Who won the Booker Prize in 2020?

Scottish writer, Douglas Stuart, won last year with his debut novel ‘Shuggie Bain’ - set in working-class Glasgow in the 1980s.

The novel had previously been turned down by 30 publishers.

He became the second Scotsman to pick up the award and his new novel, Young Mungo, will be published in April 2022.

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