Two Indian-origin authors on 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist

The 30,000 pounds prize is accompanied by a bronze statuette named 'Bessie' created by artist Grizel Niven.

London: Kolkata-born Megha Manjumdar and UK-based Sheena Kalayil are among 16 worldwide authors on the longlist of the 2026 Women's Prize of Fiction, championing and amplifying female writers from around the globe.

The 30,000 pounds prize, which is accompanied by a bronze statuette named 'Bessie' created by artist Grizel Niven, is awarded annually to the author of the best full-length novel of the year written in English and published in the UK.

While Majumdar is in the running for A Guardian and a Thief, a dramatic climate change tale set in Kolkata in the near future, Kalayil has been longlisted for a story on the crossroads of history and human experience in The Others.

"Across three decades, the Women's Prize for Fiction has transformed the literary landscape – elevating women's writing, empowering new voices, and bringing together a global community of readers," said Claire Shanahan, executive director of the Women's Prize Trust.

"At the Women's Prize Trust, the charity behind the Prize, our mission remains unchanged: to help build a future where every woman's story has a place, and where these rich and vital narratives are put into the hands of more readers," she said.

The other titles in the race for the shortlist, to be unveiled on April 22, include Gloria Don't Speak by Lucy Apps, Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi, Moderation by Elaine Castillo and Flashlight by Susan Choi.

Addie E. Citchens' Dominion, Wendy Erskine's The Benefactors, Virginia Evans with The Correspondent and Marcia Hutchinson's The Mercy Step are also on this year's longlist.

Completing the 16 are Rozie Kelly with Kingfisher, Lily King with Heart of the Lover, Katie Kitamura for Audition, Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Drak Shore, Kit de Waal's The Best of Everything and Alice Evelyn Yang's A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing.

"Across a longlist that is international in both scope and setting, these sixteen books masterfully demonstrate the power of fiction to examine the messy business of being human," said Julia Gillard, former Australian prime minister and chair of judges of this year's prize.

"From climate change to artificial intelligence, they navigate the issues of our time with urgency and purpose, they immerse us in environments and experiences that are sometimes like our own, but more often are radically different, and they explore identities and perspectives that are often ignored or forgotten, amidst those inherently universal and recognisable," she said.

She is joined on the judging panel by British Indian poet, novelist and essayist Mona Arshi; author, presenter, poet and speaker Salma El-Wardany; writer, podcaster, actor and comedian Cariad Lloyd; and author, broadcaster and DJ Annie Macmanus. They will narrow down the longlist to a shortlist of six, with the winner of the 2026 prize to be revealed in London on June 11.