Madeline Miller wins last ever Orange Prize

The US author won the £30,000 Orange Prize for her debut novel, The Song of Achilles

'This is a more than worthy winner – original, passionate, inventive and uplifting.  Homer would be proud of her,' said chair of judges Joanna Trollope. Madeline had taken more than ten years to write her version of the Trojan War.

At the same ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall last night, Jennifer Cullen was pronounced the winner of the Orange/Grazia First Chapter Competition for unpublished novelists.

The Orange Prize ws set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote women's writing from around the world. It was announced last week that this year's prize would be the final one to be sponsored by Orange.

Website: www.orangeprize.co.uk