The Folio Prize On The Man Booker Prize

In light of this afternoon's announcement that the Man Booker Prize is to expand eligibility for future prizes to include novels originally written in English and published in the UK, regardless of the nationality of the author, Andrew Kidd, founder of The Folio Prize, has issued the following statement:

"We created The Folio Prize to complement existing prizes, based on the principle that each has its own, unique remit. By launching a prize open to English language writers from anywhere in the world, and building it around the Folio Prize Academy, our intention was to fill a perceived gap, rather than to imply that others should adopt our model. The Man Booker's impressive reach, not least in the United States, seemed in part to be built upon its clear and distinctive parameters, so we are in some ways surprised by this decision. Still, it's important always to be open to change, and we welcome the fact that Man Booker has joined the Folio Prize in disregarding borders, just as it's also interesting to note the Man Booker International Prize has created an 'e-council' of former Man Booker winners that resembles the Folio Prize Academy. I'm sure that, along with many other outstanding book prizes, we can all work effectively together towards our shared goal of enriching the lives of millions of readers."

The Folio Prize, worth £40,000, is the first major English language book prize open to writers from around the world. Its aim is simple: to celebrate the best fiction of our time, regardless of form or genre, and to bring it to the attention of as many readers as possible.
Through The Folio Prize Academy, an international group of people who write, review and delight in books, it will discover and promote excellence in writing, encouraging people to put great literature at the centre of their lives.

The inaugural prize judges comprises a jury of international writers: Michael Chabon, Sarah Hall, Nam Le, Pankaj Mishra and Lavina Greenlaw (chair), all of whom are drawn from the Academy. The judges will select a shortlist of eight titles which will be announced in February 2014, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in London, March 2014.