Climate Fiction Prize announces 2026 longlist

• The longlist comprises twelve incredibly varied novels published in the UK
• Shortlist to be announced on 18th March and celebrated in a public event at The Conduit Club
• Winner to be announcement on 27th May followed by winner’s event at Hay Festival on 30th May
• The Prize, supported by Climate Spring, is worth £10,000  

The range of stories in The Climate Fiction Prize 2026 longlist shows the limitless scope of climate fiction, from addictively gripping thrillers to experimental literary works, folklore and reimagined myths to science fiction and generational family saga.  

Chosen by an expert panel of judges from across the literary and climate worlds, the list represents authors from across the world: Indian, Ukrainian, Canadian, American, British and Chinese. There was an especially strong tranche of Antipodean authors writing in creative and powerful ways on the subject. 

Whilst the twelve novels are incredibly varied the list depicts several recurring themes: the intersections between the extractive systems, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and what being human means in the wake of a denuded, or changing, relationship with the biosphere. There was rage and justice for those accountable, hope and resilience for the change that is possible, and comedy and joy at the potential for a rewilded, fairer world. There was a striking, repeated, focus on sibling relationships in several longlisted books, and especially that between sisters. Family, be it blood or chosen, is a means of survival. 

If storytellers and creatives are the antennae of society, these emerging patterns tell us something profound about this moment in time. These novels lend us the possibility for change and explore how peoples’ power, be it solo or in communities, can make differences both great and small. 

The Climate Fiction Prize 2026 longlist:

• Dusk by Robbie Arnott (Chatto & Windus, Vintage)
• Every Version of You by Grace Chan (VERVE books)
• The Tiger’s Share by Keshava Guha (John Murray Press, Hachette)
• Helm by Sarah Hall (Faber & Faber)
• Albion by Anna Hope (Fig Tree, Penguin Random House)
• Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan (Simon & Schuster)
• The Price of Everything by Jon McGoran (Solaris, Rebellion Publishing)
• Hum by Helen Phillips (Atlantic Books)
• Endling by Maria Reva (Virago, Little, Brown)
• The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien (Granta Books)
• Juice by Tim Winton (Picador, Pan Macmillan)
• Sunbirth by An Yu (Harvill, Penguin Random House)

Climate Fiction Prize Chair, Arifa Akbar, commented:

‘This year's longlist is full of anger, passion and some top-class storytelling. Submissions as a whole treated the subject of the climate crisis with immense breadth of imagination and richness… This book prize, founded to explore the climate crisis, justifies its raison d'etre with the calibre of books submitted this year: some of the most accomplished writers of our time are choosing to tackle this subject, as reflected in our longlist. They sit alongside those at earlier stages of their career. It has been a privilege to read these books and the job of whittling it all down to a short list is going to be a tough one.’

Founder and Executive Director at Climate Spring, Lucy Stone, commented: 

‘This year’s Climate Fiction Prize longlist is proof that climate fiction is one of the most exciting spaces in storytelling today. Spanning genres, cultures and continents, these novels brilliantly showcase the sheer breath of climate fiction, from thrillers and epic road trips to science fiction and family sagas - all using the climate crisis as a lens to explore what it means to be human in our rapidly changing world. With submissions doubling in just our second year, it’s clear that writers and creatives are rising to this moment with bold imagination and exceptional craft.’

The Judges

This year’s judging panel brings together some of the most exciting voices from literature, the arts and climate science; a mix of perspectives that reflects the very spirit of the genre: Arifa Akbar, Chief Theatre Critic at The Guardian and former literary editor of The Independent; award-winning, bestselling novelists Kit de Waal (The Best of Everything and My Name is Leon) and Jessie Greengrass (The High House and Sight) and leading climate scientist Dr Friederike Otto, senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London and co-founder of the World Weather Attribution initiative. Finally, Simon Savidge is a bibliophile, broadcaster and presenter whose YouTube channel Savidge Reads has over 2.5 million views. 

About the Climate Fiction Prize

The Climate Fiction Prize celebrates novels that explore what it means to be human in our rapidly changing world. Founded by Climate Spring, the global organisation transforming how the climate crisis is represented in entertainment and popular culture, the Prize recognises compelling, genre-led storytelling that engages with the realities of climate change. It highlights how climate fiction spans genres, from thrillers and sci-fi to romance and comedy, showcasing the breadth and diversity of stories that engage with the social, cultural and emotional dimensions of climate change.