Living Canon

Women's Prize for Fiction 2017: Complete list of winners

Naomi Alderman’s The Power claimed the 2017 Women’s Prize for Fiction, cementing itself as a landmark work of contemporary speculative fiction. The novel, which imagines a world where women suddenly develop the ability to produce electrical pulses from their bodies, transcends genre conventions to explore power dynamics, gender, and social upheaval with remarkable depth. Alderman’s win highlighted the prize’s commitment to recognizing boldly imaginative storytelling that challenges readers to reconsider fundamental assumptions about society and human relationships.

The Women’s Prize for Fiction has long positioned itself as a counterweight to other major literary awards, championing women’s voices and perspectives across genres—from literary fiction to thrillers to science fiction. Alderman’s victory underscored how the prize welcomes ambitious, genre-bending narratives that might otherwise be overlooked by more traditional award bodies. Her win resonated particularly with readers and critics who saw The Power as both a gripping page-turner and a sophisticated meditation on gender and authority, proving that speculative fiction could occupy the same space as literary prestige.

For those tracking the Women’s Prize for Fiction winners and finalists, Alderman’s selection marked a significant moment in recognizing how contemporary women writers were expanding the boundaries of what literary fiction could be. Below, you’ll find the complete information about this year’s honoree and finalist selections.

Fiction