The Booker Prize longlist for 2026 features 13 books that span a variety of genres, including thriller, dystopian sci-fi, and love stories. Celebrating literary excellence, this list includes notable past winners and promising debut authors.
Douglas Stuart, the 2020 winner for ‘Shuggie Bain’, and Marlon James, who won in 2015 with ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings’, have both made the list again. Elizabeth Strout is nominated for the third time for her latest work, ‘The Things We Never Say’. Additionally, the list showcases three debut authors whose works have captured attention.
Mary Beard, chair of the Booker Prize 2026 judges, commented, “Every writer on our longlist brilliantly musters the power of words on the page to take the reader to new places, to see old places from new angles, to change minds.”
The Booker Prize recognizes an exceptional book published in English in the U.K. and/or Ireland within the designated time frame of October 1 to September 30 each year. The 2025 prize went to David Szalay for ‘Flesh’.
Authors who make the shortlist will each receive £2,500, equating to about $3,300. The grand prize winner, to be announced in a ceremony in London on November 9, will receive £50,000, or a little more than $66,000.
Below is the complete list of books featured on the 2026 Booker Prize longlist:
- ‘The Shadow of the Object’ by Chloe Aridjis
- ‘Switzy’ by Emma Cline
- ‘Helen of Nowhere’ by Makenna Goodman
- ‘The End of Everything’ by M. John Harrison
- ‘The Disappearers’ by Marlon James
- ‘Black Bag’ by Luke Kennard
- ‘The Renovation’ by Kenan Orhan
- ‘May We Feed the King’ by Rebecca Perry
- ‘The Palm House’ by Gwendoline Riley
- ‘The Things We Never Say’ by Elizabeth Strout
- ‘John of John’ by Douglas Stuart
- ‘All Them Dogs’ by Djamel White
- ‘The Vivisectors’ by Missouri Williams