London, March 9 Megha Manjumdar, born in Kolkata, and Sheena Kalayil, based in the UK, are among the 16 international authors on the longlist for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction, which champions and promotes female writers from around the globe.
The £30,000 prize, which comes with 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 Manjumdar is in the running for 'A Guardian and a Thief', a dramatic story about climate change set in Kolkata in the near future, Kalayil has been longlisted for a story about the intersection of history and human experience in 'The Others'.
"Over 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, 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.
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.
Also on this year's longlist are 'Dominion' by Addie E. Citchens, 'The Benefactors' by Wendy Erskine, 'The Correspondent' by Virginia Evans, and 'The Mercy Step' by Marcia Hutchinson.
Completing the list of 16 are 'Kingfisher' by Rozie Kelly, 'Heart of the Lover' by Lily King, 'Audition' by Katie Kitamura, 'Wild Drak Shore' by Charlotte McConaghy, 'The Best of Everything' by Kit de Waal, and 'A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing' by Alice Evelyn Yang.
"Across a longlist that is both international in scope and setting, these sixteen books masterfully demonstrate the power of fiction to examine the complexities of being human," said Julia Gillard, former Australian prime minister and chair of judges for this year's prize.
"From climate change to artificial intelligence, they address the issues of our time with urgency and purpose, immersing us in environments and experiences that are sometimes similar to our own, but more often are radically different, and they explore identities and perspectives that are often overlooked or forgotten, amidst those inherently universal and recognizable," 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.