The competition will be between: * "The End of Everything" by Michael John Harrison; * "The Disappearers" by Marlon James; * "Black Bag" by Luke Kennard; * "May We Feed the King" by Rebecca Perry; * "John of John" by Douglas Stuart; * "The Things We Never Say" by Elizabeth Strout. Among the finalists are two writers who have previously won the Booker Prize. Marlon James received it in 2015 for his novel "A Brief History of Seven Killings," while Douglas Stuart won in 2020 for "Shuggie Bain." Rebecca Perry, on the other hand, is the only debut author on this year's shortlist. Another experienced participant in the Booker race is American writer Elizabeth Strout. Her works have previously made the prize's longlist twice: in 2016, she was on the longlist, and in 2022, she made the shortlist. This year, the jury is chaired by renowned British historian and classical scholar Mary Beard. Alongside her, the works were evaluated by poet Raymond Antrobus, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, literary critic Rebecca Liu, and writer Patricia Lockwood. A total of 163 works were submitted for the jury's consideration. In July, a longlist of 13 books was formed, from which the six finalists were then selected. The name of the 2026 Booker Prize winner will be announced on November 9 at a ceremony in London. The winner will receive £50,000, while each of the other shortlisted authors will receive £2,500. The Booker Prize is awarded annually for a work written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. In 2025, the award was won by David Szalay for his novel "Flesh."
