The 2020
Booker Prize for Fiction was announced on 19 November 2020. The Booker longlist of 13 books was announced on 27 July, and was narrowed down to a shortlist of six on 15 September. The Prize was awarded to
Douglas Stuart for his
debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to ...
, ''
Shuggie Bain'', receiving £50,000. Stuart is the second Scottish author to win the Booker Prize, after it was awarded to
James Kelman for ''
How Late It Was, How Late
''How late it was, how late'' is a 1994 stream-of-consciousness novel written by Scottish writer James Kelman. The Glasgow-centred work is written in a working-class Scottish dialect, and follows Sammy, a shoplifter and ex-convict.
It won th ...
'' in 1994. The ceremony was hosted by
John Wilson John Wilson may refer to:
Academics
* John Wilson (mathematician) (1741–1793), English mathematician and judge
* John Wilson (historian) (1799–1870), author of ''Our Israelitish Origin'' (1840), a founding text of British Israelism
* John Wil ...
at the
Roundhouse in Central London, and broadcast by the
BBC. As a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, the shortlisted authors and guest speakers appeared virtually from their respective homes.
Judging panel
*
Margaret Busby
*
Lee Child
James Dover Grant (born 29 October 1954), primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his '' Jack Reacher'' novel series. The books follow the adventures of a former American ...
*
Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay FRSL (born 21 May 1967) is a British author and broadcaster. Sissay was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, has been chancellor of the University of Manchester since 2015, and joined the Foundling Museum's board of trus ...
*
Sameer Rahim
*
Emily Wilson
Nominees
Shortlist
Longlist
The 2020 Longlist
The Booker Prize.
See also
* List of winners and shortlisted authors of the Booker Prize for Fiction
The official home of the 2020 Booker Prize
References
{{Man Booker Prize
Man Booker
The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...
Booker Prizes by year
2020 awards in the United Kingdom