Who are the judges for the 2026 Booker Prize?

The 2026 Booker Prize judging panel will be chaired by Mary Beard and will include Jarvis Cocker, Patricia Lockwood, Raymond Antrobus, and Rebecca Liu.

When is the Booker Prize deadline for submissions?

Publishers can submit works of fiction published between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026.

What is the prize money for the Booker Prize?

The winner of the Booker Prize receives £50,000, with £2,500 awarded to each shortlisted author.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Mary Beard, Jarvis Cocker Judge 2026 Booker Prize

Mary Beard, Jarvis Cocker Judge 2026 Booker Prize

11 Dec

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Summary

Mary Beard will chair the 2026 Booker Prize judging panel.
Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker is among the distinguished judges.
Submissions for the prize are now open until September 2026.

Mary Beard, Jarvis Cocker Judge 2026 Booker Prize

Esteemed classicist Mary Beard will chair the 2026 Booker Prize judging panel, a distinguished group that includes Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. The panel, announced today, also features novelist Patricia Lockwood, poet Raymond Antrobus, and Rebecca Liu, an editor at the Guardian Saturday magazine.

Beard expressed excitement tempered with a "little apprehension" about her role, citing a need to improve her reading speed. The judges will consider contemporary fiction, particularly works that engage with history and myth, exploring the novel's relationship with the past and factual inspiration.

Submissions from publishers are now open for long-form fiction written in English and published in the UK or Ireland between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026. The longlist will be announced in July, followed by a shortlist in September, with the winner revealed in November. The prize includes a £50,000 award for the winner and £2,500 for each shortlisted author.