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Jhalak Prize submissions open for 10th year
Submission for the 10th year of the Jhalak Prize are open across its three awards. Submissions for the Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize, the Jhalak Poetry Prize and the Jhalak Prose Prize are open until Friday 12th December.
Eligible books must have been published in the UK between 1st January 2025 and 31st December 2025. They must also have been originally published in English. The author of the work needs to have been resident in the UK for a minimum of the calendar year in which the book is eligible.
The judges for Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize are Sita Brahmachari, Lanisha Butterfield and Christine Pillainayagam. The Jhalak Poetry Prize will be judged by Romalyn Ante, Kadija (George) Sesay and Nikita Gill, while the judges for Jhalak Prose Prize are Catherine Johnson, Ami Rao and Jacob Ross.
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Each winner will receive £1,000 and a specially commissioned work of art by an artist of colour. The winner of the Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize will receive a specially commissioned work by a book illustrator of colour.
The longlist will be announced on 17th March 2026 and the shortlist will be announced on 14th April 2026.
Prize director Sunny Singh said: "We are particularly excited about our new Jhalak Poetry Prize. From the beginning, poetry has been a compelling part of the submissions and we are delighted to be able to provide greater attention to a genre that is producing some of the most powerful and essential literature today.
"This is our ninth year and our growing portfolio is a sign of changes in the industry. There is a long way to go but we expect the submissions to be stronger and more varied than ever before. We are also grateful to our judging panels who exemplify literary excellence, empathy and generosity."
Those interested in finding out more about the prize can contact the Jhalak Prize at info@jhalakprize.com or visit www.jhalakprize.com.
