The 2026 Women’s Prize Shortlist Is Here
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59 minutes ago
Four of the six shortlisted works are debut novels
Your annual reading list is here – at least that’s how we at C&TH HQ treat the Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist. Comprising six recently-published novels, all penned in English by women from across the globe, it’s our tried and true way to concurrently celebrate the written word and women, while also being inspired and entertained.
Without further ado, here’s what you need to know about the Prize’s 31st instalment in 2026.
Women’s Prize For Fiction 2026: Shortlist, Judges, Dates & More
March was Women’s History Month, so what better time to announce the Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist? As always, 16 novels were namechecked on the 2026 list – including nine debut novels – with chair of judges Julia Gillard describing the cohort as ‘international in both scope and setting’. She is joined by four judges to complete this year’s judging panel, who leafed through countless works to land on their Longlist.
And while we have more on that Longlist below, that was March. And now that we are nearing the end of April, our judging panel has whittled down their 16-strong Longlist to just six. Without further ado…
The Shortlist Is Here
Susan Choi, Addie E. Citchens, Virginia Evans, Marcia Hutchinson, Rozie Kelly and Lily King are the six authors shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Their novels are listed below. Four out of six (Citchens, Evans, Hutchinson and Kelly) are debut novelists, and four out of six (Choi, Citchens, Evans and King) are American while two (Hutchinson and Kelly) are British.
- Flashlight by Susan Choi (Jonathan Cape, Vintage, Penguin Random House UK)
- Dominion by Addie E. Citchens (Europa Editions UK)
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House UK)
- The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson (Cassava Republic Press)
- Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly (Saraband)
- Heart the Lover by Lily King (Canongate)
As Gillard puts it, these six works ‘[don’t] shy away from examining life’s challenges,’ adding the entire panel was ‘intrigued and profoundly moved’ by the works on the Shortlist.
‘The significance and experience of fiction is highly subjective and personal, but we can share in its undeniable power to hold up a lens to the realities of our world, and to connect with ourselves and each other,’ the Women’s Prize’s executive director Claire Shanahan says. ‘As we come together as a nation in the National Year of Reading to consider the joy of reading, we’re proud at the Women’s Prize Trust to present this delicious shortlist of excellent, original and accessible novels to readers around the world, to delve into, to enjoy and discuss. I offer my heartfelt thanks to the judges for their careful consideration, and congratulations to the six talented writers shortlisted.’
The Longlist
When it was revealed in March, chair of judges Gillard noted the 2026 Longlist ‘[spotlights] both emerging novelists and small, independent publishers’, with more than half of the selected titles hailing from independent publishers.
‘These 16 books masterfully demonstrate the power of fiction to examine the messy business of being human,’ Gillard, who is best known as the former Australian Prime Minister, added. ‘From climate change to artificial intelligence, they navigate the issues of our time with urgency and purpose, they immerse us in environments and experiences that are sometimes like our own, but more often are radically different, and they explore identities and perspectives that are often ignored or forgotten, amidst those inherently universal and recognisable.’
Excluding the six books that progressed to the Shortlist, the 10-strong Longlist is below.
- Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps (Weatherglass Books)
- Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi (4th Estate)
- Moderation by Elaine Castillo (Atlantic Books)
- The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine (Sceptre)
- The Others by Sheena Kalayil (Fly on the Wall Press)
- Audition by Katie Kitamura (Fern Press)
- A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (Scribner)
- Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Canongate)
- The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal (Tinder Press)
- A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang (Dead Ink)
The United States was the most represented country on this year’s Longlist, with seven authors hailing from the nation as well as Chinese-American author Alice Evelyn Yang. There were also three Brits on the Longlist (Lucy Apps, Marcia Hutchinson and Rozie Kelly), two of which progressed to the Shortlist, plus Indian-British writer Sheena Kalayil and Irish-British-Caribbean writer Kit de Waal, as well as authors hailing from Australia and India.
In 2025, The Safekeep won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, penned by Dutch debut novelist Yael van der Wouden. Other previous winners include Maggie O’Farrell, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith and the Prize’s only double winner Barbara Kingsolver.
2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction Judging Panel
The Judges
This year’s chair Julia Gillard is joined by four more women working in the creative sphere on the judging panel. They are poet, novelist and essayist, Mona Arshi; author, presenter, poet and speaker, Salma El-Wardany; writer, podcaster, actor and comedian, Cariad Lloyd; and author, broadcaster and DJ, Annie Macmanus.
The Books
Beginning with the Shortlist and extending to include the 2026 Longlist, here is a taste of all 16 books commended by the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2026.
Flashlight by Susan Choi
Decorated American author Susan has penned six novels, including Flashlight which was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize last year.
Chair of judges Julia Gillard describes this latest novel as ‘a family and historical drama that constantly surprises and intrigues with luminous writing. Set against the backdrop of one tragic event, the mystery plays out over heart-rending decades.’
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 528
Paperback, £10.99
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
Dominion is the debut novel by Mississippi born author Addie, who now lives in New Orleans. Her writing has already appeared in The New Yorker and The Paris Review, while her short story “That Girl” won the O. Henry Prize.
‘Set in the American South , Dominion by Addie E. Citchens is a taut novel about power, race and privilege,’ Gillard says. ‘Telling the story of the Winfrey family through the eyes of the mother and an orphaned teenage girl, it is a spellbinding and potent debut.’
Publisher: Europa Editions
Pages: 198
Paperback, £12.99
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Hailing from the East Coast of the US, Virginia studied under Clair Keegan and Kevin Power during her creative writing Masters at Trinity College, Dublin. Now living in North Carolina, The Correspondent is her debut novel.
‘The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is written all in letters, from the perspective of a woman in her seventies,’ Macmanus summarises. ‘It is immediately original, incredibly compelling and has real emotional heft.’
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Pages: 288
Hardback, £18.99
The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson
Having previously co-authored The Blackbirds of St Giles, The Mercy Step is the solo debut of lawyer turned activist turned Labour councillor turned writer Marcia, who was born to Windrush generation Jamaican parents in the UK in 1962.
‘From the very first page I knew The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson was exceptional,’ El-Wardany says. ‘Telling the story of a little girl called Mercy, and her connection with her mother, it draws you in from the get go.’
Publisher: Cassava Republic Press
Pages: 288
Hardback, £16.99
Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly
Having already bagged the NorthBound Book Award, Kingfisher is the debut novel of Yorkshire-based writer Rozie.
‘Written in arresting, energetic prose, Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly is a short poetic book about two writers and their complex relationship,’ explains Arshi. ‘It’s a story of how we love and what happens when we fall short.’
Publisher: Saraband
Pages: 208
Paperback, £10.99
Heart the Lover by Lily King
American writer Lily is the bestselling author of five works, and Heart the Lover is her sixth. She has previously won the Kirkus Prize, the New England Book Award for Fiction, the Maine Book Award for Fiction, a MacDowell Fellowship and a Whiting Award.
‘Heart the Lover by Lily King is a novel about first love, and the power the past has over us,’ Lloyd explains. ‘Spanning the lifetimes of our three protagonists, it’s an intimate novel that explores desire and friendship. Beautiful, tender and utterly truthful, it’s a book that will stay with you for some time.’
Publisher: Canongate
Pages: 256
Hardback, £18.99
Onto the Longlist…
Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps
Lucy hails from East London and works as a GP. Gloria Don’t Speak is her debut novel.
‘Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps is a brilliant book,’ says judge Mona Arshi. ‘It explores themes of violence, exploitation, and agency through the really fresh and original voice of Gloria. A powerful book with empathy at its heart.’
Publisher: Weatherglass Books
Pages: 300
Paperback, £12.99
Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi
Paradiso 17 is American author Hannah’s third novel. Raised in Arizona and now living in Brooklyn, her second work, Sonora, received the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award.
‘Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi is an exquisitely written story about a man who is displaced from his home in Palestine and how that informs the rest of his life,’ judge Salma El-Wardany summarises. ‘It is a story of longing and being an immigrant, and the things people do when they are yearning for home.’
Publisher: 4th Estate
Pages: 320
Release Date: 26 March 2026
Hardback, £16.99
Moderation by Elaine Castillo
Moderation is the second novel Elaine has written following her debut America is Not the Heart and her 2022 collection of essays How To Read Now. She was born and raised and continues to reside in California.
‘Moderation by Elaine Castillo, told from the perspective of a young Filipino who works in tech, asks big questions about technology and AI, but is a love story at its heart – I couldn’t put it down,’ judge Annie Macmanus says.
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Pages: 320
Hardback, £17.99
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine
This is the debut novel penned by Northern Irish secondary school teacher Wendy after her acclaimed short story collections Dance Move and Sweet Home.
Gillard says The Benefactors is ‘is told by many voices, but has at its core three very different women from Belfast, all of whom are mothers to 18-year old boys. A real page-turner, this novel has an original style that sets it apart’.
Publisher: Sceptre
Pages: 336
Hardback, £18.99
The Others by Sheena Kalayil
Raised between India, Zambia and Zimbabwe, The Others is the fourth novel by the now-Manchester-based author and teacher Sheena. Her debut The Bureau of Second Chances (2017) bagged the Writers’ Guild Award for Best First Novel.
‘Set in 1989 in east Germany, The Others by Sheena Kalayil follows three friends experiencing the taste of freedom in very different ways,’ explains judge Cariad Lloyd. ‘Full of compelling characters, it is a gripping story of love and immigration.’
Publisher: Fly on the Wall Press
Pages: 330
Paperback, £12.99
Audition by Katie Kitamura
Also nominated for the 2025 Booker Prize, Audition is the fifth novel by Katie, who has also been noted multiple times in Barack Obama’s favourite books of the year. Born and raised in the US, she teaches in the creative writing programme at New York University.
‘Sparse, modern and fresh, Audition by Katie Kitamura follows an actress’s meeting with a young man who claims to be her son, something she believes to be impossible,’ Lloyd explains. ‘Masterfully written, this book is a true original.’
Publisher: Fern Press
Pages: 208
Hardback, £18.99
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
A Guardian and a Thief is the second novel by acclaimed Indian writer Megha, who lives in NYC. Her debut, A Burning, was a bestseller and was nominated for the National Book Award.
‘A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar follows a family in a near future Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) in the midst of the climate crisis,’ Macmanus explains. ‘Incredibly well-written, it is a book about the moral ambiguity of humanity that constantly challenges the reader.’
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 224
Hardback, £16.99
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Australian writer Charlotte is the bestselling author of Migrations, Once There Were Wolves and now Wild Dark Shore – three novels concerned with the climate crisis.
‘Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is a haunting piece of climate fiction,’ Gillard says. ‘Set on a sub-Antarctic island, the plot will have you on the edge of your seat to the last page.’
Publisher: Canongate
Pages: 320
Paperback, £9.99
The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal
Irish-British-Caribbean writer Kit de Waal rose to acclaim with her debut novel My Name is Leon in 2016; The Best of Everything is her fourth novel, though she has also penned short stories and non-fiction. Her second novel, The Trick To Time, was also longlisted for the Women’s Prize.
‘The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal is a beautifully written book about a woman’s longing, kindness, chosen family, and finding happiness when the odds are against you,’ El-Wardany says. ‘It left such a mark on me.’
Publisher: Tinder Press
Pages: 320
Paperback, £10.99
A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang
Chinese-American writer Alice hails from Virginia, and has previously published her fiction in magazines, though A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing is her debut novel. She completed her MFA in Fiction in 2022 at Columbia University.
‘A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang is a book that’s deftly crafted, a rich tapestry braiding together three generations of a Chinese family,’ Arshi says. ‘It’s a gorgeous story that unrolls like an ancient tapestry and holds you under its spell into the very end.’
Publisher: Dead Ink Books
Pages: 368
Paperback, £11.99
Next Steps
Now the Shortlist has been unveiled, the judging panel will get to work choosing their winner, who will be announced on 11 June along with the winner of the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.
Both winners will be announced at a ceremony at London’s Bedford Square Gardens. Each winner will receive £30,000 and a statuette; for the Fiction prize, this is ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the late artist Grizel Niven.
