Andrea Levy was also awarded the Whitbread Book of the Year award

The award marks the first 10 years of the annual Orange Prize, which aims to recognise and promote women's fiction.

The chairwomen of judging teams from each year chose Levy - who won the prize in 2004 - as the overall winner.

"Best of the Best is a fantastic way to celebrate 10 years of exceptional women's fiction..." the co-founder of the Orange Prize, Kate Mosse, said.

Ten years ago the Orange Prize for Fiction shook up the literary world when we launched one of the most controversial literary prizes Kate Mosse Award co-founder

She added: "It's also a great opportunity to introduce a new generation of readers to some of the outstanding novels they may have missed first time round."

The Orange Prize for Fiction is open to English-language books written by women anywhere in the world.

"Ten years ago the Orange Prize for Fiction shook up the literary world when we launched one of the most controversial literary prizes," Kate Mosse said.

"Today, it is recognised as one of the UK's most powerful and prestigious awards that has firmly established itself on the global literary calendar."

Director of brand marketing at Orange Pippa Dunn congratulated Andrea Levy and said the 10-year anniversary was significant.

"It's an important milestone for us all - Orange, the authors, libraries, reading groups and of course, anyone who is enthusiastic about books and reading," she said.

Jamaican England

Andrea Levy, 48, was born in England to Jamaican parents and lives and works in London.

Her novel Small Island is about a Jamaican couple - named Gilbert and Hortense after Levy's parents - immigrating to England after World War II.

As well as winning last year's Orange Prize for the novel, Levy was awarded the Whitbread Book of the Year prize in January.

She has written three other novels: Every Light in the House Burnin', Never Far from Nowhere and Fruit of the Lemon - which was also nominated for the Orange Prize.

Kate Mosse was the non-voting chairwoman of the Best of the Best panel of judges.