Tea Obreht is the youngest-ever Orange Prize winner

25-year old author of The Tiger's Wife, Serbian-American Tea Obreht, has been announced as this year's Orange Prize winner. Tea is the youngest writer to win the £30,000 award.

The Orange Prize results were announced at a ceremony at the Festival Hall in June.

Chair of judges Bettany Hughes said: 'The Tiger's Wife is an exceptional book and Téa Obreht is a truly exciting new talent. Obreht's powers of observation and her understanding of the world are remarkable. By skilfully spinning a series of magical tales she has managed to bring the tragedy of chronic Balkan conflict thumping into our front rooms with a bittersweet vivacity.'

The Orange Prize was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction written by women throughout the world.

Emma Donohue's Room was the novel tipped to win this year's prize. The other shortlisted writers were Aminatta Forna, The Memory of Love; Emma Henderson, Grace Williams Says it Loud; Nicole Krauss, Great House and Kathleen Winter, Annabel.

At last night's ceremony, Bettany Whittle was announced as the winner of the Orange/Grazia First Chapter competition for unpublished writers.

Website: http://www.orangeprize.co.uk/