International Booker to reveal 2026 winner at Tate Modern today

The International Booker Prize is set to name its 2026 winner at Tate Modern in London on Tuesday, May 19, closing a months-long process that began with 128 submitted books translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland. (thebookerprizes.com) The prize, run by the Booker Prize Foundation, honors a work of fiction translated into English, with the award split equally between author and translator. Natasha Brown, the 2026 judging chair, has led a panel that narrowed the field first to 13 books and then to six finalists. (thebookerprizes.com) The result is expected later Tuesday at a ceremony in London. ### Which books are still in contention tonight? (thebookerprizes.com) The six shortlisted books are *The Director* by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin; *The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran* by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin; *On Earth As It Is Beneath* by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan; *She Who Remains* by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel; *Taiwan Travelogue* by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King; and *The Witch* by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump. The Booker Prize Foundation published the shortlist on March 31. The 2026 shortlist spans five original languages and authors and translators representing eight nationalities, according to the Booker Prize Foundation’s prize-year page and shortlist materials. (thebookerprizes.com) Literary Hub also reported that the list includes writers from eight nationalities and four continents. ### How did the prize get from 128 submissions to six finalists? The Booker Prize Foundation said judges read 128 novels and short-story collections over eight months before selecting a 13-book longlist and then the final six. Eligible books were works translated into English and published in the U.K. and/or Ireland between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026. (thebookerprizes.com) The 13-book longlist, announced earlier this year, covered 11 original languages and included authors and translators representing 14 nationalities across four continents. Brown said at the longlist stage that the selection captured the “calibre and variety of translated fiction.” (thebookerprizes.com) ### Who is choosing the winner with Natasha Brown? Natasha Brown chairs a five-member panel that also includes Marcus du Sautoy, Sophie Hughes, Troy Onyango and Nilanjana S. Roy, according to the Booker Prize Foundation. Brown is an award-winning author, while Hughes is herself a previous International Booker-shortlisted translator. (thebookerprizes.com) Brown said when the shortlist was announced that the six books “reverberate with history,” a line the Booker Prize Foundation used in its shortlist materials. The foundation’s accompanying guide said the finalists range from stories about a suburban witch and a morally compromised filmmaker to a multigenerational Iranian émigré family. (thebookerprizes.com) ### What exactly does the International Booker Prize reward? The International Booker Prize is awarded annually to a single book of long-form fiction or a short-story collection translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland, according to Publishers Weekly and the Booker Prize Foundation. (thebookerprizes.com) The prize is distinct from the Booker Prize for fiction originally written in English. The award recognizes both the author and translator, reflecting the prize’s focus on translated literature. The Booker Prize Foundation’s official pages for the 2026 award continue to frame the shortlist around both sets of names, rather than authors alone. (thebookerprizes.com) ### Where can readers follow the result once it is announced? The Booker Prize Foundation has said the winning book will be announced at a ceremony at Tate Modern in London on Tuesday, May 19. The foundation’s homepage directs readers to the 2026 shortlist page and says viewers can find out more about the shortlisted books, authors, translators and how to watch the livestream. (publishersweekly.com) Tuesday’s announcement will determine which of the six shortlisted author-translator pairings takes the 2026 prize. The official Booker website’s 2026 prize page is the foundation’s central source for the shortlist and the winner once the result is posted. (thebookerprizes.com 1) (thebookerprizes.com 2)