Moving debut novel and powerful Afghan history by war journalist win the 2026 Women’s Prizes

Moving debut novel and powerful Afghan history by war journalist win the 2026 Women’s Prizes Virginia Evans’s moving debut The Correspondent and Lyse Doucet’s powerful history The Finest Hotel in Kabul have triumphed at the 2026 Women’s Prizes for Fiction and Non-Fiction, respectively An American newcomer and one of the world’s most seasoned war correspondents have taken top honours at the 2026 Women’s Prize awards in Bedford Square Gardens, central London. The Women’s Prize Trust revealed the dual winners on Thursday evening at its annual celebration of global female literary talent, spanning both fiction and narrative non-fiction. Virginia Evans won the fiction prize for her debut novel, The Correspondent, while BBC journalist Lyse Doucet took home the non-fiction award for her history of modern Afghanistan, The Finest Hotel in Kabul. Both writers were celebrated at the London ceremony for bringing deeply personal and powerful stories to life. American author Virginia Evans's The Correspondent is written as a series of letters to friends, family, and real-life authors, the book follows 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp navigating the regrets and unexpected second chances of a long life. Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia and Chair of Judges for the fiction prize, said: "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." Gillard was joined on the panel by Mona Arshi, Salma El-Wardany, Cariad Lloyd, and Annie Macmanus. Evans receives £30,000 and a "Bessie" statuette. The 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction was awarded to BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet for her debut, The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan. The Canadian journalist views decades of turbulent Afghan history through the lens of Kabul’s Inter-Continental Hotel and the staff and guests who survived there. Thangam Debbonaire, Chair of Judges for the non-fiction prize, said: "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." Debbonaire judged alongside Roma Agrawal, Nicola Elliott, Nina Stibbe, and Nicola Williams. Doucet wins £30,000 and the "Charlotte" sculpture. Claire Shanahan, Executive Director of the Women’s Prize Trust, said: "I offer my heartfelt congratulations to our two truly worthy 2026 winners, Virginia Evans and Lyse Doucet. 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." Love reading? Join Dr. Aimée Walsh and our community of fellow readers in the Mirror Book Club to dive deeper into the books everyone is talking about.