Today, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, which awards $150,000 annually to women and non-binary writers with books published in Canada and the US, announced its 2026 shortlist.

The nominated writers were chosen for their “creativity and excellence” by a jury made up of Carmen Maria Machado (Chair), Ivan Coyote, Cherie Dimaline, Chitra Divakaruni, and Deesha Philyaw.

Here’s the shortlist:

Julia Elliott, Hellions (Tin House)
Quiara Alegría Hudes, The White Hot (One World)
Lee Lai, Cannon (Drawn & Quarterly)
Megha Majumdar, A Guardian and a Thief (McClelland & Stewart, Canada; Knopf, USA)
Sonya Walger, Lion (New York Review Books)

The winner will be announced on June 2 at a ceremony in Toronto, and will receive $150,000 and a five-night stay at Fogo Island Inn. The other four finalists will each receive $12,500.