Booker Prize moves to November

The Booker Prize has pushed the timing back so that the winner will be announced in late November rather than mid October accompanied by a change of venue. 

Organisers have revealed that the longlist, known as the "Booker Dozen" will be revealed on 1st August. Then the six-strong shortlist will be announced on 21st September at the National Portrait Gallery in London rather than the Serpentine Gallery before. The shortlisted authors each receive £2,500 and a specially bound edition of their book. 

The winning announcement will take place on 26th November rather than mid October in previous years. The award ceremony and dinner will be held at Old Billingsgate in London for the first time.  

Last year’s award already featured a new-look ceremony at London’s Roundhouse with Shehan Karunatilaka presented his prize for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Sort Of Books) by the Queen Consort.

The event was broadcast on Radio 4’s “Front Row” as a special edition programme and also featured a keynote speech by singer-songwriter, Dua Lipa, and hosted by comedian Sophie Duker. 

This year’s timing changes will mean the prize moves closer to the crucial festive selling slot. Organisers said: “The winner of the Booker Prize 2023 will receive £50,000 as well as the recently named ’Iris’ trophy and can expect international recognition and a significant uplift in global sales. Translation rights have been sold in 26 languages for last year’s winner, Shehan Karunatilaka’s The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, 24 of those since it won the Booker Prize in October 2022.” 

The judges include twice-shortlisted novelist Esi Edugyan as chair and actor, writer and director Adjoa Andoh along with writer and academic Mary Jean Chan, author and professor James Shapiro, and actor and writer Robert Webb.