Announcing the Judges and Ceremony location for Wales Book of the Year 2026
The 2026 Judges
The English-language panel includes four eminent figures from the literary and cultural world; the poet, literary critic and Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing at Bangor University Zoë Skoulding; the writer and winner of the main English language Wales Book of the Year Award 2021, Catrin Kean; the award-winning journalist and researcher Shirish Kulkarni; and Maesteg Library Supervisor Julie Golden, who won a coveted place on the CILIP 125 List.
On the Welsh-language panel this year are the Chaired Poet, author and former National Poet of Wales, Ifor ap Glyn; the Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor Welsh Language, Heritage and Culture at Swansea University and Director Academi Hywel Teifi, Professor Gwenno Ffrancon; the author, editor and Managing Editor of O’r Pedwar Gwynt, Sioned Puw Rowlands; and presenter of the television programme Cyw, who is also a drama practitioner, Dafydd Lennon.
On behalf of the judges Catrin Kean said;
“I was so honoured to be invited to judge on WBOTY. It was very exciting when the books started arriving – and was daunting too. The standard is incredibly high and I’ve read some wonderful books. It’s been very, very difficult making selections. I’m looking forward to the next stage now – discussing the books with my fellow judges.”
The names of the panel members were unveiled on Y Clwb Darllen, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Sounds on Sunday 1 March 2026 and will be repeated at 18.00 – 19.00 pm on Monday 2 March.
Wales Book of the Year celebrates the wealth of Welsh literature produced every year, in both Welsh and English. It is an integral part of Literature Wales’ work and contributes to our strategy of celebrating and representing Wales’ culture, writers and literary heritage. This award enables us to platform new and established voices, displaying the strength and variety in Wales’ contemporary literature in four categories: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction and Children and Young People.
We are delighted to announce our excellent judging panels, who bring a wide range of expertise in Wales’ literary and cultural fields. As the weeks speed by, they have already been busy reading and selecting books.
The 2026 Award Ceremony
This year’s Award Ceremony returns to north Wales and will take place at Galeri Caernarfon on Thursday evening 9 July 2026. We look forward eagerly to returning to Caernarfon to celebrate the talents and contribution of Wales’ writers and find out which books will win the Wales Book of the Year 2026 Award in Welsh and English.
Tickets for the ceremony will be available for the public after the Shortlist announcement in May, with full details on our website.
Partners and the Public Vote
For the third year in a row, we are delighted to announce that the School of Welsh and the School of English, Communication and Philosophy at Cardiff University are the sponsors for our main awards for 2026. We continue to work with BBC Cymru Wales to announce the Shortlists in May on BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales.
Our category sponsors and supporters this year include HSJ Accountants, Stori Cymru, Cronfa Elw Park-Jones and the Rhys Davies Trust.
Following the announcement of the Shortlists in May, there will be an opportunity for readers to express their opinion by voting in the People’s Choice and Barn y Bobl awards, with our digital partners Golwg360 and Nation.Cymru.
Follow our social media channels @llyfr_y_flwyddyn_wboty & @llencymru_litwales and the Wales Book of the Year project page for the latest news.