The nominees and jury for the Dublin International Literary Awards 2026 were unveiled in Dublin on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
The annual award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, celebrates excellence in world literature by honoring a novel written in or translated into English. The award, worth €100,000, has a unique nomination process that involves libraries from major cities worldwide. If the winning book is a translation, the author receives €75,000 and the translator is awarded €25,000. Percival Everett, David Diop, Akwaeke Emezi, Scholastique Mukasonga, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Mahi Binebine, Aminatta Forna, Noviolet Bulawayo, Mia Couto, Chinelo Okparanta, Yewande Omotoso, and Jonathan Escoffery have been in the running. Angolan author José Eduardo Agualusa won the award in 2017.
The 2026 jury will be chaired by Prof. Chris Morash, the Seamus Heaney Professor of Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin, who has led the judging process since 2019. Reflecting on the role, Professor Morash said, “The sense of being led into a world of words brings with it a sense of wonder of which I never tire.”
He is joined by five other judges, including performance poet, author, and cultural administrator Dike Chukwumerije.
Also announced were the titles nominated by dozens of libraries featuring the following writers of African descent;
- Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma
- Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
- What I Know About You by Éric Chacour
The judges will select a longlist of up to 20 titles, which will be announced on February 17, 2026. The shortlist of 6 titles will be revealed on April 7, 2026. The 31st winner of the Dublin International Literary Award will be announced on May 21, 2026, at a ceremony at the International Literature Festival Dublin.
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