Orange Prize for Fiction co-founder Kate Mosse revealed today that the mobile phone company Orange will end its sponsorship of the U.K. literary award that bears its name.
The Prize for Fiction carries a £30,000 award, and winners receive a bronze figurine nicknamed the “Bessie.” Follow this link to read a list of the 2012 shortlist–the winner will be revealed on May 30th. Here’s more from Mosse:
On behalf of everyone on the Prize for Fiction Women’s Committee, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the hard work of all those at Orange, past and present, for their investment, passion, support and never ending enthusiasm. This is the end of an era, but no major arts project should stand still. We are very much looking forward to developing the Prize for the future and working with a new sponsor to ensure the Prize grows and plays an even more significant part in the years to come. We are in active discussions with a number of potential new brand partners and look forward to the start of another exciting chapter for the Prize.