Palestine Book Awards 2026: Longlist announcement

We are proud to announce the 15 longlisted titles for the Palestine Book Awards 2026.

This year, as Palestine continues to endure unimaginable loss, destruction and displacement, the power of the written word has never felt more vital. In a time marked by ongoing war and genocide, Palestinian voices continue to document, challenge, remember and resist: ensuring that their stories cannot be erased.

From Palestinian writers and scholars to authors and researchers around the world, this year’s longlist brings together voices united by a commitment to Palestine. Through scholarship, memoir, creative writing and critical thought, these works preserve histories, confront injustice and offer new ways of understanding the Palestinian experience.

We received more than 80 submissions this year, making 2026 the largest and most diverse year in the history of the Awards. The 15 longlisted books represent multiple categories: Academic, Global Impact, Creative Writing, Memoir and Counter Current, showcasing the breadth, depth and continued evolution of literature and scholarship centred on Palestine.

At a time when so much is being lost, these books remind us of the enduring power of memory, knowledge, storytelling and truth.

We are proud to present this year’s longlist of 15 exceptional works:

2026 Palestine Book Awards Longlist:

• Al-Saber, Samer
  A movement’s promise: The making of contemporary Palestinian Theater
• Kohlbry, Paul
  Plots and deeds: Agrarian annihilation and the fight for land justice in palestine
• Griffiths, Mark
  Checkpoint 300: Colonial space in Palestine
• Johnson, Adam
  How to sell a genocide: the media’s complicity in the destruction of Gaza
• Skare, Erik
  Road to October 7: A brief history of Palestinian Islamism
• Cable, Ummayah
  Mainstreaming Palestine: Cinematic Activism and Solidarity Politics in the United States
• Tatour, Lana (Author) and Lentin, Ronit (Author)
  Race and the question of Palestine
• Bhattacharya, Tithi (Author) and Ferguson, Susan (Author) 
  Making death and life in palestine: social reproduction in settler colonialism
• Dabashi, Hamid 
  After savagery: gaza, genocide, and the illusion of western civilization
• Suárez, Thomas 
  Palestine mapped: from the river to the sea in early geographic thought
• Abulhawa, Susan
  Every moment is a life: gaza in the time of genocide
• Ghanayem, Reem
  Book of wills
• Lester Murad, Nora (Editor) and Onorato, Mary L. (Editor)
  Resisting erasure: libraries in Palestine and Palestine in libraries
• Brewster, Pam (Editor)
  When the world sleeps
• Serhan, Mai
  I can imagine it for us: A Palestinian Daughter’s Memoir

We look forward to an inspiring judging journey ahead and invite everyone to stay in touch for the shortlist release in early September.