The judges of the 2018 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, have been announced.

The panel will be chaired by the philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah and consists of: crime writer Val McDermid; cultural critic Leo Robson; feminist writer and critic Jacqueline Rose; and artist and graphic novelist Leanne Shapton.

Gaby Wood, Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, says:

‘This year’s judging panel is not only stellar in its distinction, its members have a stunningly broad range of tastes and enthusiasms too. They are all long-standing champions of creative work who will be open to any excellent novel that may come their way, regardless of genre or geography.’

The judging panel will be looking for the best novel of the year, selected from entries published in the UK between 1 October 2017 and 30 September 2018.

The 2017 Man Booker Prize for Fiction winner was Lincoln in the Bardo by American author George Saunders, published by Bloomsbury. In the week following the winner announcement, sales of Lincoln in the Bardo increased by 1227%.

The ‘Man Booker Dozen’ of 12 or 13 books will be announced in July 2018 and the shortlist of six books in September 2018. The winner of the £50,000 prize will be announced on 16 October 2018 at an awards ceremony at London’s Guildhall, broadcast live by the BBC.

This year, the Man Booker Prize will be celebrating 50 years of the finest fiction with year-long global anniversary celebrations. The flagship event, run in partnership with Southbank Centre, the UK’s largest arts centre, is the unmissable Man Booker 50 Festival from 6 to 8 July 2018. Read more here.

The Man Booker Prize is sponsored by Man Group, an active investment management firm.

Via: http://themanbookerprize.com/fiction/news/2018-man-booker-prize-judges-announced