Announcing the 2026 Winners of the Women’s Prizes

The winners of The 2026 Women’s Prizes have been announced!

The 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction has been awarded to The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet, the debut book from the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent. Canadian journalist Doucet places the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul at the heart of her richly crafted recent history of modern Afghanistan, and the many people who lived and worked there, whilst surviving decades of turbulence.

The 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction has been awarded to the American writer Virginia Evans for her debut The Correspondent. Composed of letters to friends, family and real-life authors, The Correspondent is an uplifting and moving novel that confronts the hubris of youth with the wisdom of older age. Through her 73-year-old protagonist Sybil Van Antwerp’s connection with the written word, Evans considers the choices we make, those we regret and unexpected second chances.

Head here for more on the winning books and their authors.