The Booker Prize is the world’s most significant award for a single work of fiction. It has rewarded and celebrated world-class talent for over 55 years, shaping the canon of 20th and 21st century literature. Discover the 13 longlisted titles, which are in the running for the Booker Prize 2026 here. 

The shortlist of six books, chosen by this year’s panel, will be announced on Tuesday, 22 September at a live event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, 7pm BST.

Mary Beard, Chair of the Booker Prize 2026 judges, said of the longlist: 

‘Great books have never been written to a single formula. We are confident that our longlist of books has something for everyone. There’s the funny and the unsettling (and in some cases the funny and unsettling); there’s dystopian fantasy and domestic drama; there’s the gritty and the magically mysterious; there are some that will please and some that may shock. And they are set anywhere and everywhere: Ireland and Italy, Mexico and Massachusetts, Jamaica and the Hebrides, universities, private planes and pubs, past, present and future. But there’s one thing they all share. 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.’  

Shortlist POS kit 

Please fill in the form below to receive your free POS materials. Printed materials include an A2 poster, A4 poster, bookmarks and shelf strips. All materials are printed on FSC-certified paper. The digital toolkit will include logos, images, social media assets and downloadable posters.  

The form needs to be completed by midday BST on Wednesday, 16 September 2026. The digital toolkit will be emailed on the evening of Tuesday, 22 September 2026. We aim to deliver the printed POS by Friday, 25 September 2026. 

Competition 

There’s also a chance for one independent bookshop in the UK or Ireland to win two tickets to attend this year’s ceremony on the evening of Monday, 9 November at Old Billingsgate in London, including an overnight stay and travel expenses 

All you have to do to take part is put together an original and creative display using our printed Booker Prize 2026 shortlist POS materials, and some or all of the shortlisted books. Take a photo of the display in your bookshop with some or all of the shortlisted books and email the photo to [email protected] by 5pm on Wednesday, 7 October. Where entrants have social media accounts, we’d also encourage you to upload your display photos on either Instagram or Facebook tagging @TheBookerPrizes and #BookerPrizeIndies.  

The Booker Prize Foundation team will select one UK or Ireland-based independent bookshop who in their opinion has used their POS materials to create a particularly creative and original display. The successful bookseller will be notified by email by the Booker Prize Foundation team no later than 5pm BST on Friday, 9 October 2026. Find out more about how to enter here.