Prix Femina · 2024 · Winner
Prix Femina
2024 Winner
Complete History
About the Prix Femina
The Prix Femina is a French literary prize founded in 1904 by the editors of the magazine Femina as a direct challenge to the all-male Académie Goncourt. It is notable for being judged entirely by an all-female jury of twelve women, and for presenting two awards each year: one for the best French-language work and one for the best foreign-language work in translation. The prize is announced on the first Wednesday of November at the Hôtel Lutetia in Paris, making it one of several major prizes announced in quick succession during the famed 'rentrée littéraire' season.
Frequently Asked Questions
- The Prix Femina is judged exclusively by an all-female jury of twelve women, a distinction established at its founding in 1904 as a response to the all-male Académie Goncourt.
- The jury awards two main prizes: one for the best work in French (Prix Femina) and one for the best foreign-language work in translation (Prix Femina Étranger). Additional prizes include the Prix Femina for essays.
- The Prix Femina is traditionally announced on the first Wednesday of November, one day after the Prix Goncourt and Prix Renaudot.
- Any work of fiction or prose in French published in the current year is eligible. The Prix Femina Étranger covers works originally published in any language but available in French translation.
- The announcement is made at the Hôtel Lutetia in Paris.
- Yes. While the jury is all-female, male authors are fully eligible and have won the prize many times.
- The jury announces a first selection in September, followed by a shortlist of five books in October, and then announces the winner in early November.
- The prize was founded by the editors of the magazine Femina in 1904, but it is now entirely independent and maintains its own jury and selection process.
- Like the other major French literary prizes, the monetary value is purely nominal. The prestige and the commercial boost to the winning book are the real rewards.