International Booker Prize

The International Booker Prize is one of the world's most prestigious literary awards, celebrating the finest works of fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom. Established in 2005 as the Man Booker International Prize—initially awarded biennially for a body of work—it was reformed in 2016 to become an annual award recognising a single translated novel, placing equal emphasis on the translator alongside the author. The prize is administered by the Booker Prize Foundation and typically announced each May or June following a shortlisting process that begins in April. A longlist of thirteen books is released in March, followed by a shortlist of six, culminating in the winner announcement at a ceremony in London. The £50,000 prize money (approximately $63,000 USD) is split equally between the author and the translator, reflecting the prize's commitment to translation as a creative art in its own right. Since its reformation, the International Booker has introduced English-language readers to some of the most distinctive voices in world literature—from Han Kang's visceral Korean fiction to Olga Tokarczuk's expansive Polish prose, and from Geetanjali Shree's Hindi storytelling to Jokha al-Harthi's Omani narratives. It has become a vital gateway for translated fiction and a powerful champion of global literary culture. The award covers all eligible fiction—novels and short story collections—originally written in any language other than English, as long as an English translation is published in the UK. It has consistently rewarded bold, experimental, and cross-cultural storytelling, shaping the global appetite for literature in translation.