Disha (whose novel Dirty Laundry was an Irish Times bestseller, a Good Morning America, Book Club pick and the inaugural An Post Book Club selection) joins the international panel of judges for the 2026 Award. The other judges are Xiaolu Guo, an award-winning novelist and film director who has published a dozen books with Random House; Daniel Mulhall, a former Irish Ambassador to Malaysia, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States who has lectured and published extensively on Irish history and literature; Clara Ministral, who studied translation and comparative literature in Madrid and London and has been translating fiction and non-fiction from English to Spanish for over fifteen years; Dike Chukwumerije, a performance poet, spoken word theatre practitioner, author, public speaker and cultural administrator;

The non-voting chairperson is Professor Chris Morash, the Seamus Heaney Professor of Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin, who has led the judging process since 2019. Commenting on the experience of being a Dublin Literary Award judge, Professor Morash states, “The sense of being led into a world of words brings with it a sense of wonder of which I never tire.”

This year’s longlist, drawn from nominations by 80 libraries across 36 countries, showcases the best in contemporary fiction from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania.

Among the 69 nominated works are 30 translated titles in 17 languages and 20 debut novels, reflecting the award’s global reach. Five Irish authors have earned places on the 2026 list - Sally Rooney, already a global bestseller, joins established voices like Christine Dwyer Hickey and Theo Dorgan, alongside emerging talents Garrett Carr and Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin, both nominated for their debuts.

In a new development for 2026, the judging panel will announce a longlist of up to 20 titles on 17 February, followed by a shortlist of six on 7 April. The overall winner will be revealed on 21 May during the International Literature Festival Dublin.