The 2026 Goldsmiths Prize shortlist has been revealed, featuring six authors including Missouri Williams, China Miéville, and Polly Barton. The £10,000 prize aims to recognise fiction that "breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form."
Francis Spufford, judging chair and professor of creative writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, noted that the judges found "newness of many different kinds" in this year's submissions. He added that the judges "enjoyed ourselves, and we enjoyed being challenged."
Williams is shortlisted for her Booker-longlisted novel, The Vivisectors. Miéville's 1,200-page paranormal novel, The Rouse, also made the list. Polly Barton's debut novel, What Am I, a Deer?, is another contender, alongside Doireann Ní Ghríofa's Said the Dead and Keith Ridgway's Dooneen. The shortlist is completed by Aea Varfis-Van Warmelo's debut, Attention-Seeking Behaviour.