The longlist for the International Booker Prize 2026, supported by Bukhman Philanthropies, has been announced – and, to celebrate, we’re launching an incredible competition. 

Not only do we have five full sets of the longlist to give away, one overall winner will also receive a delicious Poon’s London Heritage Gift Hamper, a £150 Poon’s gift card and a Poon’s Vegetable Guide tea towel, as well as a money-can’t-buy Booker Prizes tote bag.*

Four runners-up will each win the 13 longlisted titles, a Poon’s Vegetable Guide tea towel and a limited-edition Booker Prize tote bag. 

Our top prize comprises the following:

1 x set of all 13 books on the International Booker Prize 2026 longlist 
1 x Poon’s London Heritage Gift Hamper
1 x £150 Poon’s gift card
1 x Poon’s Vegetable Guide tea towel 
1 x limited-edition Booker Prize tote bag

*Only entrants based in the UK, excluding Northern Ireland, are eligible to win the main prize, for delivery to an address in England, Wales, or Scotland. The runners-up prizes can be delivered internationally.

Each year the International Booker Prize introduces readers to the best novels and short story collections from around the world that have been translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. 

Chinese heritage food lifestyle brand Poon’s London is generously hosting this year’s International Booker Prize judging panel at its Somerset House restaurant for the key judging meetings. The longlist was decided in the Drawing Room.

Chair of judges Natasha Brown said ‘Whether it’s for a birthday, a book club, or the bus ride to work, I’m confident that there’s a perfect fit among these 13 brilliant books.’

The shortlist of six books will be announced on 31 March 2026. The winning title will be announced at a ceremony on 19 May 2026.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply enter your details below by 12:00 GMT on Thursday, 12 March, 2026. Winners will be chosen at random.

Entrants should note that four of the titles on the longlist have not yet been published, and as a result, prize bundles may not be dispatched until late April. 

This competition is a free draw, with only one entry allowed per person, and we reserve the right to disqualify any entries where we suspect one person has used a number of different email addresses. Use or attempted use of any automated or other non-manual entry methods is prohibited.  

The draw is governed by our general rules for competitions, available here, but the following specifics also apply (and take precedence should there be any contradiction or ambiguity):

• There will be five winners, selected at random from entries received before 12:00 GMT on Thursday, 12 March, 2026. Entries received after this time will not be eligible.
• One winner will receive the 13 titles (in their current UK editions) on the International Booker Prize 2026 longlist, a Poon’s London Heritage Gift Hamper, a £150 Poon’s gift card, a Vegetable Guide tea towel and a Booker Prize tote bag. The prize elements will be dispatched separately.
• Four runners-up will receive the 13 titles (in their current UK editions) on the International Booker Prize 2026 longlist, a Poon’s Vegetable Guide tea towel and a Booker Prize tote bag.
• Entrants must be 18 or over, and we reserve the right to ask for proof of age at any point in the competition; prize-winners should be aware of adult themes within the longlisted titles, particularly if sharing the books with other readers.
• The overall competition prize is only open to those resident in the UK, excluding Northern Ireland.
• The four runners-up competition is open to those resident in or outside the UK subject to the proviso that an entry is not eligible if it is from a resident in a country or jurisdiction where this free draw may breach any local law or regulation.  
• Winners will be notified by email no later than 12:00 GMT (UK time) on Thursday, 19 March, 2026, and must promptly provide a fully operative postal address for delivery of their prize. If we have not received this within seven days of us notifying a winner, we will have no obligation to deliver the prize and at our sole discretion, we may select a further winner to receive the prize concerned or simply decide not to give it.
• We can only undertake to do what is reasonable in all the circumstances to deliver the four runner-up prizes to a location outside the UK.
• We cannot ship to PO Box addresses; winners are required to provide a bricks-and-mortar/physical address for prize(s) to be dispatched to.
• Bearing in mind, among other things, the value of the prize itself in relation to cost of delivery, we reserve the right (and this is determined at our sole discretion) to ask a winner to provide an alternative address for delivery to a person/location where the cost is proportionate.
• Winners are responsible for any taxes or duties they may have to pay in order to take receipt of their prize.
• The prizes are non-cash exchangeable.
• While we will use our best endeavours to despatch prizes as soon as possible once all titles have been received from the publishers. Entrants should note that current expected publication dates mean that despatch is likely to be late April; further, no responsibility can be accepted for entries delayed or lost.
• We are not responsible for any damage to the prize in the course of delivery; while we will consider a request for a replacement (if available) if the prize arrives in a seriously damaged state, this is solely in our discretion depending on the particular circumstances.
• These terms and conditions are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of England & Wales, and the courts of England & Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction in determining any question or issue in relation to them.
• We may in due course and at our sole discretion publicise the names of the winners and their location (in general terms, not specific addresses) on our website and/or social media channels and by entering the competition an entrant agrees to this publicity should they be a prize-winner.