Indian writer Nilanjana S Roy is on the 2026 judging panel for the International Booker Prize
The Delhi-based novelist and journalist Nilanjana S Roy is part of the five-member jury of the 2026 International Booker Prize. She will be joined by author Natasha Brown, who will be the chair, along with writer and professor Marcus du Sautoy, translator Sophie Hughes, and writer, editor and bookshop-owner Troy Onyango.
The International Booker Prize recognises the vital work of translation, with the £50,000 prize money being divided equally between the winning author and translator(s). Each shortlisted title is awarded a prize of £5,000 – £2,500 for the author and £2,500 for the translator(s).
'To translate is to undertake a powerful act of generosity, creativity and connection, to ferry literature across from one language to another, to forge kinship across distance,' said Roy about judging the prize for translated fiction.
A longlist of 12 or 13 books will be announced on February 24, 2026, and a shortlist of six books on March 31. The winning book will be announced at a ceremony in May 2026.
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