Derek Owusu and Seán Hewitt Among Six Shortlisted for 2026 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize

Six writers have been shortlisted for the prestigious 2026 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, which awards £20,000 to a writer aged 39 or under. The announcement was made on March 19, 2026.

The Shortlist

The 2026 shortlist includes Derek Owusu and Seán Hewitt, alongside Harriet Armstrong, Colwill Brown, Sasha Debevec-McKenney and Suzannah V Evans. The prize celebrates fiction in any form – including novels, short stories, poetry, and drama – in honor of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who died at the age of 39.

Featured Authors and Works

• Harriet Armstrong: Nominated for To Rest Our Minds and Bodies, a darkly comic campus novel exploring Gen Z gender relations and mental health.
• Colwill Brown: Shortlisted for We Pretty Pieces of Flesh, a novel about three working-class girls growing up in Doncaster between the late 90s, and 2015.
• Sasha Debevec-McKenney: Recognized for her poetry collection, Joy is My Middle Name, which engages with themes of sex, race, addiction, and pop culture.
• Suzannah V. Evans: Nominated for her poetry collection, Under the Blue, a meditation on the realities of care.
• Seán Hewitt: Shortlisted for his debut novel, Open, Heaven, a portrait of gay first love. Hewitt was previously nominated in 2025 for his poetry collection, Rapture’s Road.
• Derek Owusu: Nominated for Borderline Fiction, which follows a young Black man navigating relationships and mental health challenges. Owusu was also a nominee in 2023.

Judging Panel and Previous Winners

Author Irenosen Okojie chairs the judging panel, which also includes Joe Dunthorne, Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, Prajwal Parajuly, and Eley Williams. Okojie described the shortlist as “marvellous, galvanising,” noting the works’ profound insights into the human experience.

Last year’s prize was awarded to Palestinian writer Yasmin Zaher for her novel The Coin. Previous winners include Caleb Azumah Nelson, Arinze Ifeakandu, Patricia Lockwood, Max Porter, Raven Leilani, Bryan Washington, Fiona McFarlane, and Kayo Chingonyi.

Award Ceremony

The winner of the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize will be announced on May 14th at a ceremony in Swansea, Wales.

To browse all shortlisted titles, visit guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.