Wales Book of the Year 2026 winners announced

Nation Cymru staff

The winners of this year’s Wales Book of the Year 2026 awards have been announced this evening, honouring a debut book for “its tender, precise, poetic prose”

Literature Wales announced this evening (Thursday 9 July 2026) that Anthony Shapland’s debut novel, A Room Above a Shop, has won the prestigious Wales Book of the Year Award 2026 at an Award Ceremony held at Galeri Caernarfon.

It was also announced that Mererid Hopwood was the winner of the overall Welsh-language prize with her poetry collection, Mae (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas).

Both overall winners receive a prize of £4,000 each as well as iconic trophies designed and created by Angharad Pearce Jones.

Anthony Shapland grew up in Bargoed, south Wales. He is a writer and artist, and founder of g39, an artist-led space in Cardiff. His short story ‘Foolscap’ was shortlisted for the 2022 Rhys Davies Short Story Competition, and he was selected for the Hay Writers at Work programme in 2023. He is an alumnus of Literature Wales’ Representing Wales programme, where he was mentored by award-winning writer Cynan Jones, who was shortlisted alongside Anthony for this year’s Wales Book of the Year Fiction Award.

A Room Above a Shop (Granta Publications) is a tender and resonant love story, and a powerful debut. It is set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic and Clause 28, centring on two men living a secret life in their lodgings in south Wales.

On behalf of the judging panel Catrin Kean said: “The other judges and I had long and hard discussions: these are all very special books and we loved them all. But in the end the decision was unanimous.

“A Room Above a Shop is a gorgeous work of art. A concealed love story, where the concealment is so much part of it that even the characters’ names are withheld. We loved the visual prose, the sense of place, and the love that was woven through every line. With its tender, precise, poetic prose, this a thrilling debut novel. We all felt that this was a special new voice in the Welsh literary landscape.”

Each year, the Wales Book of the Year Award celebrates talented Welsh writers who excel in a variety of literary forms in both Welsh and English. There are four categories in both languages – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction and Children and Young People.

Each category winner takes home a prize of £1,000. One category winner in each language goes on to win the Overall Award, earning a further £3,000 and claiming the title, Wales Book of the Year. Although it has existed in some form since the 1960s, Wales Book of the Year has been run by the literature development charity, Literature Wales, since 2004.

Claire Furlong, Executive Director of Literature Wales said: “Llongyfarchiadau mawr to all of tonight’s winners, and especially to Anthony and Mererid. One a celebrated debut novelist, and the other a longstanding and deeply loved voice in Welsh poetry.

“Their books are very different, but both have resonated deeply with readers; uniquely Welsh volumes with universal heart.

“Wales Book of the Year is a truly collective effort. The whole sector plays their part. From dedicated writers, to publishers bringing fantastic work into the world, and booksellers creating beautiful displays of the shortlisted books, to name but a few. Literature Wales is proud to play a part in this extraordinary endeavour, celebrating Welsh writing at its finest.

“Diolch to everyone who helps make it possible. We encourage readers everywhere to visit their local bookshop or library to pick up these books from Wales, read them, and join the conversation. What do you think of this year’s winners, and which book do you think will be Wales Book of the Year 2027?”

The Award Ceremony saw 10 winners take to the stage to claim a total prize fund of £14,000. The audience gathered for the announcement included this year’s judges, shortlisted writers and their families, avid readers, partners and funders.

Other highlights of the ceremony, led by presenter, druid and writer Kristoffer Hughes, included a video speech by Heledd Fychan MS, Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport; a welcome poem penned by Meleri Davies, the winner of the 2025 Poetry Award; and a celebration of 50 years of the Tir na n-Og Award by the Books Council of Wales.

The English-language winners of Wales Book of the Year 2026 are:

Wales Book of the Year 2026 (Sponsored by Cardiff University School of English, Communication and Philosophy );
& Fiction Award (Supported by the Rhys Davies Trust)

A Room Above a Shop, Anthony Shapland (Granta Publications)

Poetry Award (Supported by Parry Davies Clwyd-Jones & Lloyd)

The Storm’s Flora, Laura Wainwright (Seren Books)

Creative Non-Fiction Award

Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance, Joe Dunthorne (Hamish Hamilton)

Children & Young People Award (Sponsored by Darwin Gray)

My Dog, Olivia Wakeford (Harper Collins Children’s Books/ Harper Fire)

Gwobr People’s Choice Nation.Cymru

There She Goes My Beautiful World, Gosia Buzzanca (Calon)

Welsh-language Winners:

Llyfr y Flwyddyn 2026 (Sponsored by Cardiff University’s School of Welsh)
& the Poetry Award (Supported by Parry Davies Clwyd-Jones & Lloyd) 

Mae, Mererid Hopwood (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas)

Creative Non-fiction (Sponsored by Stori Cymru)

Y Cyfan a Fu Rhyngom Ni – Ar Lwybrau ‘Atgof’ Prosser Rhys, Iestyn Tyne (Gwasg y Bwthyn)

Fiction Award  (Sponsored by HSJ Accountants)

Tri, Sonia Edwards (Gwasg y Bwthyn)

Children & Young People Award (Supported by Cronfa Elw Park-Jones)

Y Cae Ras, Manon Steffan Ros (Y Lolfa)

Golwg360 Barn y Bobl Prize

Trochi – Cerddi Carwyn Eckley, Carwyn Eckley (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)

Mae by Mererid Hopwood is the first poetry collection to win the overall Wales Book of the Year Award in the Welsh language since 2002. Mererid Hopwood is the first woman to win the Eisteddfod Chair, the highest accolade for poetry composed in cynghanedd. She has also won other literary awards at the National Eisteddfod; the Crown and the Literary Medal. She is Professor of Welsh and Celtic Studies at Aberystwyth University.

Although she is well known for her poetry, Mae is her second full collection of poems. It contains pieces about peace, injustice, the environment, being a mother and a grandmother, and much more.

To read more about Wales Book of the year and all of 2026’s winners, visit www.literaturewales.org/wales-book-year