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About this talk

Get a glimpse behind the judging room doors of the world’s most significant award for a single work of fiction, with the panel of esteemed judges. Join the judges of the Booker Prize 2026 – Chair Mary Beard and fellow panellists Raymond Antrobus, Jarvis Cocker, Rebecca Liu and Patricia Lockwood – as they announce the shortlist for this year’s prize live on stage. For the second year running, the Booker Prize shortlist is announced live on stage at a public event at the Southbank Centre. This year’s judges, in conversation with Booker Prize Foundation Chief Executive Gaby Wood, reveal what it is like to judge the Booker and share why each book earned its place on the Booker Prize 2026 shortlist.

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