Six novels on Booker Prize 2026 shortlist
Marlon James, Douglas Stuart and Elizabeth Strout among the finalists.
The Booker Prize has announced its shortlist for 2026. Six novels remain from a longlist of thirteen books, previously selected from 163 submissions.
The shortlist comprises The End of Everything by M. John Harrison, The Disappearers by Marlon James, Black Bag by Luke Kennard, May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry, The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout and John of John by Douglas Stuart.
The list includes two previous winners: Marlon James won the prize in 2015 and Douglas Stuart in 2020. Elizabeth Strout has been nominated for the third time. The other three authors are appearing on a Booker shortlist for the first time.
The six books come from authors in England, Scotland, Jamaica and the United States. The selection spans various genres, including dystopian fiction, historical fiction, satire and contemporary family novels.
The jury is chaired by classicist and writer Mary Beard. The other jury members are poet Raymond Antrobus, musician Jarvis Cocker, journalist and critic Rebecca Liu, and writer Patricia Lockwood.
The shortlist was chosen from thirteen books. That longlist was compiled from 163 submitted novels originally written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026.
The winner will be announced in London on 9 November. The winner receives £50,000; each shortlisted author receives £2,500. The amounts are part of the prize money and say nothing about the literary quality of the individual books.
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The shortlist, jury, numbers and prizes were checked with the organiser. The independent source was used for context concerning the longlist and previous winners.
- confirmed The shortlist consists of six novels. — The official Booker Prize page lists six titles. source
- confirmed Marlon James and Douglas Stuart are previous Booker winners. — The official prize information and The Guardian mention their previous wins. source
- confirmed Elizabeth Strout has been nominated for the third time. — The organiser lists three previous nominations. source
- confirmed The longlist came from 163 submissions. — Number cited by the Booker Prize Foundation. source
- confirmed The winner receives £50,000 and each finalist £2,500. — Official prize information. source
Editor's note
The shortlist and the composition of the jury were checked with the Booker Prize Foundation. The text does not offer a literary assessment of the novels.Sources
- The Booker Prize 2026 — The Booker Prizes
- Enter the Booker Prize — The Booker Prizes
- Previous winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James lead Booker prize longlist — The Guardian
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