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Announcing The Libraro Prize 2026 Shortlist!

We are delighted to announce the six fresh new voices in fiction who have been shortlisted for The Libraro Prize 2026. Shaped by feedback from Libraro’s online community of over 15,000 readers and writers, the inaugural shortlist features writers from the UK, Ireland, and the United States, and spans a breadth of genres including horror, literary fiction, thriller, mystery & suspense, romance and women’s fiction.

Launched in January 2026, The Libraro Prize reimagines how authors are discovered, by giving readers an active role in championing emerging talent. The winning entry will win a £50,000 package from Libraro and a book deal with a major international publisher – Hachette UK. Congratulations to all our shortlisted authors. The winner of The Libraro Prize 2026 and Libraro Reader Prizes will be announced on 13th May 2026.

The shortlist is...

The Last Canary

The Last Canary by Ben Daniels

A thought-provoking sci-fi novel, set in a near future world, in which a group of people are selected to be frozen in stasis for decades.

About the Author: After studying Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art, architect and author Ben Daniels began his career on a remote island in the Outer Hebrides. Alone for a year in a storm-battered old school house, he started writing fiction and, after a decade working as an architect in London and Prague, has completed his first novel. The Last Canary is set largely on North Uist and inspired by its austere beauty and resilient people. He’s now based in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.
Yours, Everlasting

Yours, Everlasting by Natalie Gordon

An empowering historical novel – inspired by love letters discovered by the author – set in World War Two.

About the Author: Natalie Gordon is a Cumbrian-based author. After more than twenty years juggling a successful career in business and raising a family, Natalie took two years off to write her historical fiction novel ‘Yours, Everlasting’. It was inspired by bundles of WW2 love letters inherited from a couple she befriended in her teens. She has self-published two children’s books on Amazon, ‘Mr Nobody’ and ‘King Worm Jack’. ‘Mr. Nobody’ was longlisted in the 2014 Times/Chicken House children’s fiction competition. You can follow Natalie’s regular library book reviews and ramblings in the Cumbrian hills on Instagram @natgordonwrites. https://www.nataliegordon.co.uk

Sheep's Clothing

Sheep's Clothing by Donna Fisher

A lyrical fable that handles questions of sexual power, “cancel culture” and consent, and draws out where love and morality collide.

About the Author: Donna Fisher is a British-born writer now living in Alexandra Headland, Queensland, Australia. She was shortlisted for the 2025 Bridport Short Story Prize, and her work has been featured on BBC Radio. Her poetry and short fiction regularly appear in literary magazines including Litro, Beyond Words, and samfiftyfour. In 2021, she self-published her debut novel Queentide, which won an Indie Books We Love award from LoveReading. She writes across genres, but a common thread runs through all her work: transformation, growth, and hope. She is currently completing a Master of Creative Writing at Edith Cowan University. She shares her poetry, stories, and personal essays on her Substack.

Love Lost

Love Lost by Mary Minnock

A deeply moving, intimate portrayal of a divorced mother and father facing the mysterious death of the daughter, while navigating their shared past.

About the Author: Irish writer, Mary Minnock, is the author of two previously self-published novels on Amazon. Homesick, published in 2023, is available in both print and audio versions and was a finalist for the US National Indie Excellence Award and shortlisted for the Carousel Aware Prize. ‘Love Lost’ is her second book and was published in 2024. She lived for 17 years in France before returning home to Ireland and settling in Dublin.

An Oath of Malice

An Oath of Malice by B. Robinson

A tense and unputdownable page-turner which takes readers into the world of a diabolical serial killer and the bestselling writer he abducts to tell his life story.

About the Author: Following a childhood on the East Coast of the US, B. Robinson now lives in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah. An English teacher by day, he tries to instill a love of reading and writing to his students, and his ambition is to see that passion turned into a career.

The Lost Zodiac

The Lost Zodiac by T.J. Winwood

A gripping fantasy about a world in peril, where the only hope of salvation is a process called ‘the yielding’ – in which participants emerge unrecognisable from their former selves.

About the Author: T.J. Windwood is a YA fantasy author currently serving as an Air & Space Ops Manager in the Royal Air Force. She writes stories that explore power, identity, and belonging and The Lost Zodiac: Air of Truth, her debut novel, blends militarised training, zodiac mythology, and slow-burn romance in a world where memory is the price of power.

Read The Libraro Prize 2026 Shortlist titles and join our community of over 15,000 engaged readers and writers.