Climate Fiction Prize: six finalists
The 2026 Climate Fiction Prize shortlist dropped with six novels that reimagine humanity’s bond with the environment — finalists include Endling by Maria Reva and The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien. Judges praised 'exceptional imagination and craft' across the list, underscoring climate fiction’s growing literary clout. ( )
Four other novels on the 2026 shortlist are Dusk by Robbie Arnott, The Tiger’s Share by Keshava Guha, Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan and Hum by Helen Phillips. (climatefictionprize.co.uk - ) The winner will be announced on 27 May 2026 and will receive a £10,000 prize, with a winners’ event scheduled at the Hay Festival on 30 May 2026. (locusmag.com - ) This year’s judging panel is chaired by Arifa Akbar and includes novelists Kit de Waal and Jessie Greengrass, climate scientist Dr Friederike Otto, and broadcaster Simon Savidge. (lovereading.co.uk - ) The shortlist was unveiled at a public event on 18 March 2026 at The Conduit in London, where four of the judges discussed the nominated novels in an onstage conversation. (climatefictionprize.co.uk - ) Publishers listed on the prize page show Dusk issued in the UK by Chatto & Windus/Vintage and The Tiger’s Share by John Murray Press (Hachette), while Awake in the Floating City appears via Pantheon/Simon & Schuster and Hum is published by Atlantic Books in the UK. (climatefictionprize.co.uk - penguinrandomhouse.com - atlantic-books.co.uk - ) Shortlist biographies note geographic range among the authors: Arnott is based in Hobart, Tasmania; Guha was born in Delhi; Kwan is an artist-writer from San Francisco; and Helen Phillips is an American novelist. (climatefictionprize.co.uk - susannakwan.com - ) The 2026 prize follows a 12-title longlist released on 5 February 2026 and represents the second year of the Climate Fiction Prize, which is organised by the Climate Spring charity to spotlight climate storytelling in mainstream fiction. (climate-spring.org - )
