The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet has won the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, with Virginia Evans awarded the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction for The Correspondent.
The 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction is 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 Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet is a perfect work of narrative non-fiction: it is not only cleverly constructed and brilliantly researched, but each and every element is handled with extraordinary sensitivity and warmth – it will move you to tears or make you laugh, or perhaps both. Informed by decades of excellent reporting, Doucet centres the real-life experiences of people – the staff and guests, alongside the hotel itself – and with the future of Afghanistan still being written, this book’s importance will only get stronger as the years go by.”
Thangam Debbonaire, Chair of Judges for the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction
Thangam Debbonaire, CEO of UK Opera Association, cultural strategist and politician, was joined on the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction judging panel by Roma Agrawal, engineer, author and broadcaster, Nicola Elliott, founder of NEOM Wellbeing, Nina Stibbe, novelist and memoirist, and Nicola Williams, Crown Court judge and thriller author.
The 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction is 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.
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a remarkable novel, with an exemplary combination of originality, excellence and accessibility. It is no mean feat to write a life in letters, but Evans makes this feel effortless, asking the reader to consider the choices we make, whilst elevating an ordinary life in the most heartfelt of ways. The sheer skill required to render an emotionally resonant and engaging work in this format is spectacular. This is a novel that captured our hearts, and should be read and savoured by all.”
Julia Gillard, Chair of Judges for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction
Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia, was joined on the Women’s Prize for Fiction judging panel by poet, novelist and essayist, Mona Arshi, author, presenter, poet and speaker, Salma El-Wardany, writer, podcaster, actor and comedian, Cariad Lloyd, and author, broadcaster and DJ, Annie Macmanus.
Both winners were announced at the Women’s Prize Trust’s annual summer celebration in Bedford Square Gardens, London, on Thursday 11 June. The evening also celebrated our wider work including the Readers’ Room with three book clubs shadowing the prizes taking part in the celebrations, and Discoveries, the Women’s Prize Trust’s popular talent development programme and prize for unpublished and unagented writers. As one of the many Discoveries alumni achieving landmark success and publishing their forthcoming debut novel, 2024 winner Niamh Connolly spoke about the invaluable support and community provided by the programme.
As the winner of the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, sponsored by Audible and Baileys, Virginia Evans will receive £30,000, anonymously endowed, along with a statuette known as the ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the late artist Grizel Niven. As the winner of the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, sponsored by Findmypast, Lyse Doucet will receive the £30,000 prize fund and the ‘Charlotte’ sculpture, gifted by the Charlotte Aitken Trust.
I offer my heartfelt congratulations to our two truly worthy 2026 winners, Virginia Evans and Lyse Doucet, and I am deeply grateful to the judges of both Prizes for their thoughtful deliberations over the many months of reading. The work we do at the Women’s Prize Trust – the charity behind the Prizes – is inspired by our mission to build a better future for everyone by championing women’s writing. We are living through challenging times: amplifying women’s voices and their power to inspire change is as important now as it ever has been, perhaps even more so. The 32 extraordinary books recognised over this year’s Prizes are a compelling affirmation of what women’s words can achieve and I urge readers to buy, borrow and share these exceptional books.”
Claire Shanahan, Executive Director of the Women's Prize Trust
