Submissions are now open for the 2026 Unwin Award, a GBP10,000 literary prize recognising early-career non-fiction authors whose work significantly influences public discourse, society, or policy.

Administered by the Publishers Association, the award is supported by the Unwin Charitable Trust and highlights the global value of the UK publishing industry. The prize is given for a body of work -- up to three adult non-fiction titles -- rather than a single title.

UK publishers may nominate up to three authors per imprint by the deadline of 30 September 2025. An independent judging panel will be announced soon, with a shortlist to follow in February 2026 and the winner revealed in April.

The literary award runs in tandem with the Unwin Lecture, which last year was delivered by science communicator and broadcaster Professor Jim Al-Khalili.

Writer, broadcaster and feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez won the inaugural Unwin Award in April 2025. The other shortlisted writers were Catherine Belton, Helen Czerski, Afua Hirsch, Guy Shrubsole, and Chris Van Tulleken.