The Women's Prize for Nonfiction has announced its 2026 shortlist, featuring six books that explore themes of identity, exile, and the arts. The £30,000 prize, launched in 2024 to address gender imbalance in UK nonfiction awards, includes works by Arundhati Roy, Lyse Doucet, and Judith Mackrell, alongside Jane Rogoyska, Ece Temelkuran, and Daisy Fancourt.
Roy's memoir 'Mother Mary Comes to Me' examines identity and motherhood, while Doucet's 'The Finest Hotel in Kabul' offers a people's history of Afghanistan. Rogoyska's 'Hotel Exile' delves into the history of Paris's Hotel Lutetia during World War II. Mackrell's 'Artists, Siblings, Visionaries' is a dual biography of British artists Gwen and Augustus John.
Temelkuran's 'Nation of Strangers' addresses exile and migration, and Fancourt's 'Art Cure' explores the health benefits of the arts. Chair of judges Thangam Debbonaire called the shortlist 'exceptional,' noting it offers 'rich and original insights in what often feels like a fragmented world.'
New data released by the prize reveals persistent gender gaps in nonfiction: men dominate categories like business (93%) and sport (90%), though women's share in popular science has risen to 22%. The winner will be announced on 11 June alongside the fiction prize.
