The Folio Academy
The character and qualities of The Writers’ Prize are shaped by The Folio Academy, an international group of writers and critics who are immersed in the world of books. The Academy nominates titles to be considered for the Prize shortlist, and each year the judges are drawn from its number. In 2024, responsibility for both the shortlist nominations and the overall winners sits entirely with the Academy. Additionally, the mentors who lead each year’s Rathbones Folio Mentorships come from the Academy.
The Academy is a community where conversations about the value and direction of literature can take place. It is an evolving group which derives its strength from individual voices, yet it is stable in form. All Academy members demonstrate a commitment to writing and to reading that is ambitious in vision and scope.
Academy Members: ABC

Tim Adams
Tim Adams
Critic at the Observer
Author of Being John McEnroe (2004, Crown USA/Yellow Jersey UK).Â

Victoria Adukwei Bulley
Victoria Adukwei Bulley
Poet, writer, artist. Debut collection Quiet (2022, Faber & Faber) won the Poetry Category of the Rathbones Folio Prize 2023.

Naomi Alderman
Naomi Alderman
Author of novels The Power (2017, Penguin) as well as Disobedience, The Lessons and The Liar’s Gospel. The Future coming November 2023 (Penguin).

Lisa Allardice
Lisa Allardice
Chief books writer at The Guardian

Tahmima Anam
Tahmima Anam
Author of novels The Startup Wife (2021, Canongate), The Bones of Grace (2016), The Good Muslim (2011), A Golden Age (2007).

Romalyn Ante
Romalyn Ante

Raymond Antrobus
Raymond Antrobus

Lisa Appignanesi
Lisa Appignanesi

Chloe Aridjis
Chloe Aridjis

Claire Armitstead
Claire Armitstead

Will Ashon
Will Ashon

Nadeem Aslam
Nadeem Aslam

William Atkins
Will Atkins

Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood

Tash Aw
Tash Aw

Trezza Azzopardi
Trezza Azzopardi

Murray Bail
Murray Bail

Catherine Bailey
Catherine Bailey

Virginia Baily
Virginia Baily

John Banville
John Banville

Pat Barker
Pat Barker

Raffaella Barker
Raffaella Barker

Susan Barker
Susan Barker

Damian Barr
Damian Barr

Kevin Barry
Kevin Barry

Sebastian Barry
Sebastian Barry

Elif Batuman
Elif Batuman

Sara Baume
Sara Baume

Francesca Beard
Francesca Beard

Richard Beard
Richard Beard

Fiona Benson
Fiona Benson

Emily Berry
Emily Berry

David Bezmozgis
David Bezmozgis

Rahul Bhattacharya
Rahul Bhattacharya

Carol Birch
Carol Birch

Caroline Bird
Caroline Bird

Robin Black
Robin Black

Amy Bloom
Amy Bloom

Tracy Bohan
Tracy Bohan

James Bradley
James Bradley

Natasha Brown
Natasha Brown

NoViolet Bulawayo
NoViolet Bulawayo

Anna Burns
Anna Burns

Will Burns
Will Burns

AS Byatt, d.16.11.23 RIP
AS Byatt, d.16.11.23 RIP

Peter Carey
Peter Carey

Eleanor Catton
Eleanor Catton

Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon

Mary Jean Chan
Mary Jean Chan

Tracy Chevalier
Anthony Capildeo

Sarah Churchwell
Sarah Churchwell

Kate Clanchy
Kate Clanchy

Alex Clark
Alex Clark

Joseph Coelho
Joseph Coelho

J.M. Coetzee
J.M. Coetzee

Teju Cole
Teju Cole

Robert Collins
Robert Collins

Jon Cook
Jon Cook

Rachel Cooke
Rachel Cooke

Jim Crace
Jim Crace

Stephanie Cross
Stephanie Cross

Laura Cumming
Laura Cumming

Michael Cunningham
Michael Cunningham

Rachel Cusk
Rachel Cusk
Academy Members: DEF

Willliam Dalrymple
Willliam Dalrymple

Edwige Danticat
Edwige Danticat

Carys Davies
Carys Davies

Deborah Kay Davies
Deborah Kay Davies

Jill Dawson
Jill Dawson

Juno Dawson
Juno Dawson

Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day

Michelle de Kretser
Michelle de Kretser

Sergio de la Pava
Sergio de la Pava

Jonathan Derbyshire
Jonathan Derbyshire

Kit de Waal
Kit de Waal

Junot Diaz
Junot Diaz

Edward Docx
Edward Docx

Emma Donoghue
Emma Donoghue

Maura Dooley
Maura Dooley

Louise Doughty
Louise Doughty

Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy

Sasha Dugdale
Sasha Dugdale

Sarah Dunant
Sarah Dunant

Joe Dunthorne
Joe Dunthorne

Geoff Dyer
Geoff Dyer

Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis

William Eaves
William Eaves

Esi Edugyan
Esi Edugyan

Nathan Englander
Nathan Englander

Diana Evans
Diana Evans

Bernardine Evaristo
Bernardine Evaristo

Stuart Evers
Stuart Evers

Paul Farley
Paul Farley

Roopa Farooki
Roopa Farooki

Sebastian Faulks
Sebastian Faulks

Suzy Feay
Suzy Feay

Elaine Feeney
Elaine Feeney

Caleb Femi
Caleb Femi

William Fiennes
William Fiennes

Amanda Foreman
Amanda Foreman

Aminatta Forna
Aminatta Forna

Adam Foulds
Adam Foulds

James Fox
James Fox

Richard Francis
Richard Francis

Caroline Fraser
Caroline Fraser

Maureen Freely
Maureen Freely

John Freeman
John Freeman

Nell Freudenberger
Nell Freudenberger

Anna Funder
Anna Funder
Academy Members: GHI

Amity Gaige
Amity Gaige

Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman

Rivka Galchen
Rivka Galchen

Patrick Gale
Patrick Gale

Damon Galgut
Damon Galgut

Petina Gappah
Petina Gappah

Vanessa Gebbie
Vanessa Gebbie

Keith Gessen
Keith Gessen

Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh

Sinéad Gleeson
Sinéad Gleeson

Namita Gokhale
Namita Gokhale

Vesna Goldsowrthy
Vesna Goldsowrthy

Helen Gordon
Helen Gordon

Lavinia Greenlaw
Lavinia Greenlaw

Katy Guest
Katy Guest

Guy Gunaratne
Guy Gunaratne

Amali Gunasekera
Amali Gunasekera

Xiaolu Guo
Xiaolu Guo

Helon Habila
Helon Habila

Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon

Tessa Hadley
Tessa Hadley

Rawi Hage
Rawi Hage

Matt Haig
Matt Haig

Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall

Mohsin Hamid
Mohsin Hamid

Mohammed Hanif
Mohammed Hanif

Sophie Hannah
Sophie Hannah

Luke Harding
Luke Harding

Paul Harding
Paul Harding

Jane Harris
Jane Harris

Will Harris
Will Harris

Samantha Harvey
Samantha Harvey

Justin Haythe
Justin Haythe

Zoe Heller
Zoe Heller

Aleksandar Hemon
Aleksandar Hemon

Philip Hensher
Philip Hensher

Sheila Heti
Sheila Heti

Kathryn Heyman
Kathryn Heyman

Daisy Hildyard
Daisy Hildyard

Selima Hill
Selima Hill

Afua Hirsch
Afua Hirsch

Peter Hobbs
Peter Hobbs

Andrew Holgate
Andrew Holgate

Rachel Holmes
Rachel Holmes

A.M. Homes
A.M. Homes

Chloe Hooper
Chloe Hooper

Kathryn Hughes
Kathryn Hughes

Lucy Hughes-Hallett
Lucy Hughes-Hallett

MJ Hyland
MJ Hyland

Lars Iyer
Lars Iyer
Academy Members: JKL

Maya Jaggi
Maya Jaggi

Hope Jahren
Hope Jahren

Nadine Aisha Jassat
Nadine Aisha Jassat

Margo Jefferson
Margo Jefferson

Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson

Suzanne Joinson
Suzanne Joinson

Alice Jolly
Alice Jolly

Justine Jordan
Justine Jordan

Jackie Kay
Jackie Kay

Fergal Keane
Fergal Keane

Stuart Kelly
Stuart Kelly

Peter Kemp
Peter Kemp

A.L Kennedy
JA.L Kennedy

Christobel Kent
Christobel Kent

Hannah Kent
Hannah Kent

Mimi Khalvati
Mimi Khalvati

Matthew Kneale
Matthew Kneale

India Knight
India Knight

Nicole Krauss
Nicole Krauss

Hari Kunzru
Hari Kunzru

Rachel Kushner
Rachel Kushner

Theophilus Kwek
Theophilus Kwek

Nick Laird
Nick Laird

Nikita Lalwani
Nikita Lalwani

James Lasdun
James Lasdun

Tabitha Lasley
Tabitha Lasley

Mark Lawson
Mark Lawson

Nam Le
Nam Le

Chang Rae Lee
Chang Rae Lee

Sam Leith
Sam Leith

Ben Lerner
Ben Lerner

Penelope Lively
Penelope Lively

Attica Locke
Attica Locke

Rachel Long
Rachel Long

Valeria Luiselli
Valeria Luiselli

Carola Luther
Carola Luther
Academy Members: MNO

Robert Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane

Carmen Maria Machado
Carmen Maria Machado

Ben MacIntyre
Ben MacIntyre

Deirdre Madden
Deirdre Madden

Rebecca Makkai
Rebecca Makkai

Kathryn Maris
Kathryn Maris

Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr

Philip Marsden
Philip Marsden

Hisham Matar
Hisham Matar

Glyn Maxwell
Glyn Maxwell

Eimear McBride
Eimear McBride

Robert McCrum
Robert McCrum

Val McDermid
Val McDermid

Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan

Jon McGregor
Jon McGregor

Belinda McKeon
Belinda McKeon

Jean McNeil
Jean McNeil

Tessa McWatt
Tessa McWatt

James Meek
James Meek

Momtaza Mehri
Momtaza Mehri

Daniel Mendelsohn
Daniel Mendelsohn

Charlotte Mendelson
Charlotte Mendelson

Stephanie Merrit
Stephanie Merrit

Claire Messud
Claire Messud

Philipp Meyer
Philipp Meyer

Andrew Miller
Andrew Miller

Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Kiran Millwood Hargrave


Pankaj Mishra
Pankaj Mishra


David Mitchell
David Mitchell


China Miéville
China Miéville


Azadeh Moaveni
Azadeh Moaveni



C E Morgan
C E Morgan


Clare Morgan
Clare Morgan


Blake Morrison
Blake Morrison


Julie Myerson
Julie Myerson


Katrina Naomi
Katrina Naomi


Caleb Azumah Nelson
Caleb Azumah Nelson


Lawrence Norfolk
Lawrence Norfolk



Doireann NÃ GhrÃofa
Doireann NÃ GhrÃofa


Maggie O'Farrell
Maggie O'Farrell


Catherine O'Flynn
Catherine O'Flynn


Andrew O'Hagan
Andrew O'Hagan


Lisa O'Kelly
Lisa O'Kelly



Michael Ondaatje
Michael Ondaatje


Tommy Orange
Tommy Orange


Helen Oyeyemi
Helen Oyeyemi
Academy Members: PQR


Richard Lloyd Parry
Richard Lloyd Parry


Don Paterson
Don Paterson


Laline Paull
Laline Paull


Emily Perkins
Emily Perkins


Elliot Perlman
Elliot Perlman


Caryl Phillips
Caryl Phillips


Jayne Anne Phillips
Jayne Anne Phillips


Justine Picardie
Justine Picardie


Paul Pickering
Paul Pickering


Bella Pollen
Bella Pollen


Jacob Polley
Jacob Polley


Susannah Porter
Susannah Porter


Chris Power
Chris Power


Richard Powers
Richard Powers


John Preston
John Preston


Michael Prodger
Michael Prodger


Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman


Tony Quinn
Tony Quinn


Ross Raisin
Ross Raisin


Shobha Rani
Shobha Rani


Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin


Michele Roberts
Michele Roberts


Roger Robinson
Roger Robinson


Monique Roffey
Monique Roffey


Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson


Katherine Rundell
Katherine Rundell


Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie


Donal Ryan
Donal Ryan
Academy Members: STU


Sunjeev Sahota
Sunjeev Sahota


Sathnam Sanghera
Sathnam Sanghera


Jacqueline Saphra
Jacqueline Saphra


Denise Saul
Denise Saul


George Saunders
George Saunders


James Scudamore
James Scudamore


Ruth Scurr
Ruth Scurr


Alice Sebold
Alice Sebold


Maria Semple
Maria Semple


Anita Sethi
Anita Sethi


David Sexton
David Sexton


Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak


Kamila Shamsie
Kamila Shamsie


Clare Shaw
Clare Shaw


Owen Sheers
Owen Sheers


Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver


Nikesh Shukla
Nikesh Shukla


Curtis Sittenfeld
Curtis Sittenfeld


Johanna Skibsrud
Johanna Skibsrud


Gillian Slovo
Gillian Slovo


Ali Smith
Ali Smith


Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith


Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith


Yomi Sode
Yomi Sode


Ahdaf Soueif
Ahdaf Soueif


Martha Sprackland
Martha Sprackland


Francis Spufford
Francis Spufford


Guy Stagg
Guy Stagg


Peter Stanford
Peter Stanford


Lorin Stein
Lorin Stein


Francine Stock
Francine Stock


Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard


Kate Summerscale
Kate Summerscale


William Sutcliffe
William Sutcliffe


Henry Sutton
Henry Sutton


Miguel Syjuco
Miguel Syjuco


Michael Symmons Roberts
Michael Symmons Roberts


Christopher Tayler
Christopher Tayler


Catherine Taylor
Catherine Taylor


D.J. Taylor
D.J. Taylor


Joelle Taylor
Joelle Taylor


Sharlene Teo
Sharlene Teo


Adam Thirlwell
Adam Thirlwell


Rupert Thomson
Rupert Thomson


Matt Thorne
Matt Thorne

Adam Thorpe
Adam Thorpe


Carrie Tiffany
Carrie Tiffany


Colm Toibin
Colm Toibin


Boyd Tonkin
Boyd Tonkin


Deborah Treisman
Deborah Treisman


Joanna Trollope
Joanna Trollope


Scott Turow
Scott Turow


Anne Tyler
Anne Tyler
Academy Members: VWXYZ


David Vann
David Vann


Salley Vickers
Salley Vickers


Ivan Vladislavic
Ivan Vladislavic


Erica Wagner
Erica Wagner


Jess Walter
Jess Walter


James Walton
James Walton


Alan Warner
Alan Warner


Marina Warner
Marina Warner


Frances Wilson
Frances Wilson


Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson


Gaby Wood
Gaby Wood


Gerard Woodward
Gerard Woodward


Evie Wyld
Evie Wyld

