Our literary awards to promote the emergence of young authors
For the past 15 years, the Orange Foundation has brought new voices in literature and comics to a wide audience through its literary prizes. In 2009, we created the Prix Orange du Livre (opens in a new window), which rewards a novel written in French and published by a French publisher at the start of the winter season. Chaired by Jean-Christophe Rufin, author and French Academy member, the jury is made up of authors, booksellers and readers, with new members appointed each year. In 2023, a book club from an association supported by the Orange Foundation (Maison digitale de Cités Caritas) joined the jury.
And because Orange has a strong presence on the African continent, in 2019 we created the Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique (opens in a new window). The prize honors not only winning authors from French-speaking Africa but also promotes the five shortlisted books and supports publishers through a training program tailored to their needs. The shortlisted novels are selected by reading committees made up of a hundred readers from 15 African countries. The jury, chaired by French-Ivorian author Véronique Tadjo and made up of international authors and journalists, then selects the winner.
The latest Orange Prize, the Prix Orange de la Bande Dessinée, (opens in a new window) has been awarded since 2020 to a comic strip written in French and published in France or Belgium. It is awarded by a jury made up of authors, booksellers and readers, with its chair changing every year. In 2023, it was Coco, screenwriter and press cartoonist.
Find out more about the Foundation’s commitments to literature