First-time novelists are joined by two former winners on the diverse list, as the six ‘ambitious and hard-hitting’ contenders are revealed
• ‘We were blown away’: how we chose the Women’s prize shortlist
Three debut novels will compete against books by two former winners for this year’s Women’s prize for fiction, on a shortlist described as “ambitious and hard-hitting” by the chair of judges Louise Minchin.
The first-time novelists shortlisted for the prize are Jacqueline Crooks for Fire Rush, Louise Kennedy for Trespasses and Priscilla Morris for Black Butterflies.
