The prestigious Climate Fiction Prize has unveiled its six finalists for the 2026 award, with acclaimed authors Madeleine Thien and Robbie Arnott leading a diverse and compelling shortlist. Now in its second year, the £10,000 prize celebrates novels that creatively engage with the urgent climate crisis through powerful and imaginative narratives.
A Rich and Varied Shortlist
This year's selection spans a wide array of literary styles, from speculative fiction to reimagined myths, showcasing how contemporary writers are addressing environmental themes. The shortlist includes works that not only depict climate change but also intertwine it with social injustice, personal journeys, and global conflicts.
Notable Finalists and Their Works
Madeleine Thien is shortlisted for The Book of Records, a novel that follows a girl and her father fleeing flooding in a near-future China, ultimately arriving at a migrant compound known as the Sea. Guardian reviewer Xan Brooks praised it as a "rich and beautiful novel" that traces the human costs of climate crisis across generations.
Robbie Arnott earns a spot with Dusk, a story about twins hunting a puma in the Tasmanian wilderness. James Bradley of the Guardian described it as "starkly beautiful and deeply felt", highlighting its emotional resonance and environmental themes.
Other Contenders on the List
The shortlist also features:
- The Tiger's Share by Keshava Guha, a state-of-the-nation tale set in polluted Delhi, exploring sibling rivalry.
- Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan, a debut about an artist and a 130-year-old woman in a flooded future San Francisco.
- Endling by Maria Reva, which considers environmental collapse alongside Russia's invasion of Ukraine, praised as "dexterous and formally inventive" and longlisted for the Booker prize.
- Hum by Helen Phillips, set in a near future with job-stealing robots, poisonous air, and contaminated water, called "mesmerising and scary" by Daisy Hildyard.
Judging Panel and Prize Details
The judging panel for this year's prize includes Arifa Akbar, chief theatre critic at the Guardian, novelists Kit de Waal and Jessie Greengrass, climate scientist Friederike Otto, and broadcaster Simon Savidge. Lucy Stone, founder and executive director of Climate Spring—the organization funding the prize—noted that the shortlisted novels range "from intimate family stories to sweeping political and historical narratives", fluidly moving across genres while grappling with themes like power, accountability, community, and resilience.
Eligibility and Announcement
To be eligible, books must have been published in the UK between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025. The prize was launched in June 2024 at the Hay literary festival, with the inaugural winner being Abi Daré's And So I Roar. The winner of the 2026 Climate Fiction Prize will be announced on 27 May, continuing to spotlight literature that addresses the defining challenges of our time.
