World’s largest prize for young writers: Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize 2026 - Swansea University
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World’s largest prize for young writers: Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize 2026
World’s largest prize for young writers: Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize 2026
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This year's shortlist comprises of
four novels and two poetry collections.
The shortlist for the world’s largest and most prestigious literary prize for young writers – the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize – is announced today featuring six extraordinary, emerging voices, whose writing explores love and beauty, society and gender – with a distinct focus on coming-of-age stories.
Comprising four novels and two poetry collections, the shortlist is:
To Rest Our Minds and Bodies
by
Harriet Armstrong
(Les Fugitives) – novel (UK)
- We Pretty Pieces of Flesh
by
Colwill Brown
(Chatto & Windus, Vintage) – novel (UK)
Joy is My Middle Name
by
Sasha Debevec-McKenney
(Fitzcarraldo Editions) – poetry (US)
- Under the Blue
by
Suzannah V. Evans
(Bloomsbury Poetry) – poetry (UK)
- Open, Heaven
by
Seán Hewitt
(Jonathan Cape, Vintage) – novel (UK)
Borderline Fiction
by
Derek Owusu
(Canongate) – novel (UK)
Irenosen Okojie MBE, Chair of Judges
, said:
“This is a marvellous, galvanising shortlist. We're thrilled by the scope, breadth and depth of these works across forms. These books have profound things to say about the ways we live, what it means to be human and overall are propulsive reads that imbue the writing space with new energies.”
The two poetry collections on the shortlist are both by debut writers: American poet
Sasha Debevec-McKenney,
who draws on sex, race, addiction, and pop culture in
Joy is My Middle Name
(Fitzcarraldo Editions); and Bristol-based
Suzannah V. Evans,
with her poetry collection
Under the Blue
(Bloomsbury Poetry), a deeply candid exploration of both the shimmering beauty of life and the realities of care.
Two out of the six shortlisted authors have previously been nominated for the award. British-Irish author
Seán Hewitt
, nominated in 2025, has been chosen again for his heart-breaking novel
Open, Heaven
(Jonathan Cape), an exhilarating story of hidden desire on the cusp of adulthood. Meanwhile, 2023 prize nominee
Derek Owusu
is shortlisted for his contemporary tale
Borderline Fiction
(Canongate), a close-up, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes funny examination of what it means to be a young black man navigating today's world.
Coming of age is a big theme throughout all four shortlisted novels:
Harriet Armstrong,
the youngest shortlisted author at just 25, is in the running with
To Rest Our Minds and Bodies
(Les Fugitives), her first novel which confronts thorny gender relations, consent, and unravelling mental health within Gen Z. Finally,
Colwill Brown
is also recognised
for her debut novel,
We Pretty Pieces of Flesh
(Chatto & Windus), which takes you by the hand and leads you through Doncaster’s schoolyards, alleyways and nightclubs in the early noughties.
The shortlisted titles were selected by a judging panel chaired by
Irenosen Okojie MBE
, award-winning Nigerian British author of
Curandera, Butterfly Fish
Speak Gigantular
and
Nudibranch
, and former Women’s Prize for Fiction judge, who is joined by:
Joe Dunthorne,
award-winning
Swansea-born
poet and novelist;
Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe
, poet, pacifist and fabulist;
Prajwal Parajuly
multi-award nominated
author of
The Gurkha’s Daughter
and
Land Where I Flee;
Eley Williams,
acclaimed
author and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Joe Dunthorne
on
To Rest Our Minds and Bodies
by
Harriet Armstrong
“An electrifying experience, a brilliantly sustained journey into love and obsession – told with a voice that is fresh, funny and completely its own.”
Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe
on
We Pretty Pieces of Flesh
by
Colwill Brown
“A full-throated, intimate look at girlhood, growing up, what it means and what it takes to feel like you belong. An anthem to first friendships, to the places and people that make us and change us, to the things we can and cannot say, to the selves that we become.”
Irenosen Okojie
on
Joy is My Middle Name
by
Sasha Debevec-McKenney
“Glorious. This is a collection teeming with multitudes. Unstoppable, hilarious and incandescent."
Eley Williams
on
Under the Blue
by
Suzannah V. Evans
“Alert to the intimacies of caring and keening, of all-too-easy frictions and fraught hard-won joys, Evans’ collection is an intricate and rewarding work of contemporary literature.”
Prajwal Parajuly
on
Open, Heaven
by
Seán Hewitt
“A tender exploration of love and desire—heart-rending and deeply lyrical.”
Irenosen Okojie
on
Borderline Fiction
by
Derek Owusu
“A forensic meditation on complex Black British male identity. Full of heart and tenderness."
The British Library will host a shortlist celebratory event on Wednesday 13 May with the winner announced during a ceremony in Swansea on Thursday 14 May, marking International Dylan Thomas Day.
Worth £20,000, this global accolade recognises exceptional literary talent aged 39 or under, celebrating the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama. The prize is named after the Swansea-born writer Dylan Thomas and celebrates his 39 years of creativity and productivity. The prize invokes his memory to support the writers of today, nurture the talents of tomorrow, and celebrate international literary excellence.
Last year’s prize was awarded to Palestinian writer Yasmin Zaher for her novel
The Coin
, and previous winners include Caleb Azumah Nelson, Arinze Ifeakandu, Patricia Lockwood, Max Porter, Raven Leilani, Bryan Washington, Fiona McFarlane, and Kayo Chingonyi.
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Thursday 19 March 2026 00:01 GMT
Catrin Newman
Press Office
press@swansea.ac.uk
01792 295050
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