This year the prize is celebrating 10 years in its current form, in which time it has become the world’s most influential award for translated fiction. The Booker Prize Foundation is announcing that Bukhman Philanthropies is generously funding the International Booker Prize in 2026.
The longlist of 13 books has been chosen by the 2026 judging panel, chaired by award-winning author Natasha Brown, one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists. Brown is joined by writer, broadcaster and Oxford University Professor of Mathematics and for the Public Understanding of Science Marcus du Sautoy; International Booker Prize-shortlisted translator Sophie Hughes; writer, Lolwe editor and bookseller Troy Onyango; and award-winning novelist and columnist Nilanjana S. Roy. The selection, which was chosen from 128 books submitted by publishers, celebrates the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026.
The International Booker Prize recognises the vital work of translation, with the £50,000 prize money divided equally between the winning author and translator/s. In championing works from around the world that have originated in a wide range of languages, the prize fosters an engaged global community of writers and readers whose experiences and interests transcend national borders.
Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, says:
“This year, the International Booker Prize celebrates its 10th anniversary as a prize for fiction in translation, rewarding authors and translators on an equal basis. In that time, four authors spotlighted by the International Booker Prize for a single book have gone on to win the Nobel Prize for their entire body of work. It’s satisfying to note that each of the past 10 winners has been translated from a different language. And that this year, works originally written in 34 languages were submitted, the highest number in the prize’s history - a sign, perhaps, that translated works from an ever-broader range of original languages are increasingly available to anglophone readers. Fiction buyers seem to be embracing this: sales of translated fiction have doubled since the prize was first awarded in 2016. This year’s longlist, chosen by a wise group of passionate judges in a series of enlightening and always entertaining meetings, features two novels originally published several decades ago. The fact that there is an appetite to publish them in translation now is a cause for celebration. The International Booker Prize seeks to identify outstanding fiction from across the world and to encourage reading beyond borders: seeing lives and landscapes that lie far beyond the geographical fringes of our own and beginning to understand the experiences of others. This work has been given a huge boost this year by our collaboration with Bukhman Philanthropies, whose mission to amplify voices of writers aligns closely with the work of the Booker Prize Foundation. We are tremendously grateful for their support.”
Daria Bukhman, Co-Founder and Chair of Bukhman Philanthropies, says:
“Growing up, I read a lot of translated fiction, which became a gateway to understanding lives, cultures, and inner worlds far beyond my own. At a time when societies feel increasingly fragmented, translated literature plays a vital role in fostering empathy and widening perspective. Supporting the International Booker Prize in its tenth anniversary year feels especially meaningful: it honours both literary excellence and the power of stories to cross borders and languages, and it celebrates both the author and the translator behind the work in the era of AI. Through Bukhman Philanthropies, I am proud to support a prize that champions diverse voices, ensuring literature continues to challenge, inspire, and connect us. I look forward to deepening this collaboration in the years ahead.”