The Booker Prize 2026 longlist has been unveiled, revealing the 13 novels competing for one of the world’s most prestigious literary honours.
Selected from 163 submissions, this year’s celebrated ‘Booker Dozen’ showcases established literary stars alongside emerging voices, with stories that travel across continents, centuries and genres.
Chosen by the Booker Prize 2026 judging panel, chaired by classicist, writer and broadcaster Mary Beard, the longlist highlights the very best long-form fiction published in the UK and Ireland between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026.
Joining Beard on the panel are award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus, musician and broadcaster Jarvis Cocker, journalist Rebecca Liu, and Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Patricia Lockwood.
The Full Booker Prize 2026 Longlist
The 13 novels selected for the Booker Prize 2026 are:
- The Shadow of the Object – Chloe Aridjis (Mexican-British) (Chatto & Windus, Vintage/Penguin Random House)
- Switzy – Emma Cline (American) (Chatto & Windus, Vintage/Penguin Random House)
- Helen of Nowhere – Makenna Goodman (American) (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
- The End of Everything – M. John Harrison (British) (Serpent’s Tail, Profile Books)
- The Disappearers – Marlon James (Jamaican) (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)
- Black Bag – Luke Kennard (British) (John Murray, Hachette)
- The Renovation – Kenan Orhan (Turkish-American) (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)
- May We Feed the King – Rebecca Perry (British) (Granta)
- The Palm House – Gwendoline Riley (British) (Picador, Pan Macmillan)
- The Things We Never Say – Elizabeth Strout (American) (Viking Fiction, Penguin Random House)
- John of John – Douglas Stuart (Scottish-American) (Picador, Pan Macmillan)
- All Them Dogs – Djamel White (Irish) (John Murray, Hachette)
- The Vivisectors – Missouri Williams (British) (4th Estate, HarperCollins)
A Longlist That Spans The Globe
This year’s selection reflects the international nature of contemporary English-language fiction. The longlisted authors represent a wide range of nationalities, including British, American, Irish, Jamaican, Mexican-British, Turkish-American and Scottish-American writers.
The novels transport readers across an extraordinary variety of settings, from Mexico City and Kingston, Jamaica, to the Outer Hebrides, West Dublin, coastal Massachusetts, post-apocalyptic Britain and even an unnamed medieval court.
The judges also praised the breadth of tone and storytelling on display, with the list embracing satire, science fiction, historical fiction, crime thrillers, campus novels and literary drama. Themes include memory, mortality, reconciliation, survival, identity and the enduring impact of the past.
Short Books, Epic Reads and Literary Variety
One of the defining features of the Booker Prize 2026 longlist is its remarkable variation in length.
Six of the selected novels are under 250 pages, while three come in at fewer than 200 pages, proving that literary impact is not determined by word count.
The shortest book on the list is Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman, at just over 140 pages, while the longest is The Disappearers by Marlon James, which exceeds 600 pages.
Why The Booker Prize Still Matters
Widely regarded as one of the most influential literary awards in the world, the Booker Prize has launched careers, introduced readers to groundbreaking voices and transformed bestselling novels into global cultural events.
With a longlist balancing internationally renowned authors such as Marlon James, Elizabeth Strout, Emma Cline and Douglas Stuart alongside exciting newer voices, the Booker Prize 2026 promises another fiercely contested competition.
As readers begin making their way through this year’s Booker Dozen, attention will soon turn to the forthcoming shortlist and, ultimately, which novel will join the distinguished list of Booker Prize winners.
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