Shortlist announced for 2026 An Post Irish Book Awards

The shortlist for the 2026 An Post Irish Book Awards has been unveiled, independent.ie, the Irish Examiner, RTÉ, and the Irish Times all report. The awards cover writers and illustrators across 19 categories. RTÉ reported that this year marks the 21st anniversary of the awards. [1][2][3][4][7][8]

Nominees for the Novel of the Year category include Maggie O'Farrell for Land, Louise Kennedy for Stations, Donal Ryan for Where Are the Kings, and Kathleen MacMahon for Other People's Lives, according to the Irish Examiner and the Irish Times. The Irish Times noted that John Boyne is nominated for The Weight of Angels, while Sebastian Barry is nominated for The Newer World. Debut author Djamel White was also nominated for All Them Dogs, a literary crime thriller that was longlisted for the Booker Prize. [2][4]

RTÉ reported that other shortlisted authors across the categories include Colm Tóibín, Liz Nugent, Nikita Hand, Sally Hayden, Vincent Browne, Ciara Mageean, James McClean, Katriona O'Sullivan, Paul Howard, and Darach Ó Scolaí. The Irish Times added that the shortlists in several categories were expanded from six to eight titles to reflect a strong year for Irish writing. [3][4]

The Irish Book Awards are annual literary prizes given to books and authors across various categories. They are supported by all-Irish bookstores, with the state-owned postal service An Post serving as the primary sponsor. [9]