The Booker McConnell Prize for Fiction, or Booker for short, is arguably the most significant literary prize awarded in the British Isles. Established in 1969, the Booker recognizes an outstanding work of full-length English fiction published in the nations of the current and former British Commonwealth (South Africa and Ireland included). In 1992, a similar prize was introduced to reward contemporary Russian authors; that award is called the Russian Booker.

The Sponsor

The Booker Prize is sponsored by Booker McConnell Ltd., an international food and agricultural business, and administered by the Book Trust, an educational charity subsidized by the Arts Council of Great Britain.

The Prize

The value of the prize has been £15,000 since 1984.

Notable Honorees

Past Booker Prize winners and nominees include:
Michael Ondaatje for The English Patient (1992)
Martin Amis for Time's Arrow (1991)
Margaret Atwood for The Handmaid's Tale (1986)
Thomas Keneally for Schindler's List (winner, 1982)
Salman Rushdie for Midnight's Children (winner, 1981)