Hilary Mantel tops the shortlist for The Women's Prize for Fiction 2013.

The 2013 shortlist for The Women's Prize for Fiction has been revealed and judges have called it a "staggeringly strong" one with the likes of Hilary Mantel, Zadie Smith, Barbara Kingsolver, Kate Atkinson, AM Homes and Maria Semple competing for this year's prize.

Hilary Mantel has been shortlisted for her book "Bring Up the Bodies." The author has already won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction and the Costa Book Award. If she wins the Women's Prize for Fiction award of 2013, she will be the first woman to have ever won all the three major British Literary prizes of the year.  

Zadie Smith has been shortlisted for her book "NW" and American writer Barbara Kingsolver has been nominated for "Flight Behaviour". Both these authors are former winners of the prize.

The other three authors that made it in the shortlist include U.S. author Maria Semple for "Where'd You Go Bernadette", American author A.M. Homes for "May We Be Forgiven" and Briton Kate Atkinson for "Life after Life".

"The shortlist for 2013 represents six tremendous writers at the top of their game," chair of the judging panel Miranda Richardson said. "Their individual novels are flawlessly presented, they contain a heady mix of ideas and without exception take the reader on a unique and deeply satisfying journey."

The prize is worth $45,900 and the award ceremony will take place in London June 5, 2013.