Sudanese-American poet Safia Elhillo has been announced as one of nine finalists for the 2026 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, a major global award recognizing significant contributions to world literature.
Elhillo, whose celebrated poetry explores themes of language, identity, and migration, was nominated for her collection The January Children.
The Neustadt Prize, awarded biennially by World Literature Today and the University of Oklahoma, carries a $50,000 cash prize and is considered one of the most prestigious international literary awards. Writers of any genre including poets, novelists, playwrights, and screenwriters are eligible.
The finalists for the 2026 Neustadt Prize, which carries a $50,000 cash award, are as follows:
- Yuri Andrukhovych / Set Change
- Elif Batuman / The Possessed
- Mei-mei Berssenbrugge / A Treatise on Stars
- Robert Olen Butler / Had a Good Time
- Safia Elhillo / The January Children
- Mathias Énard / Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants
- Ibrahim Nasrallah / Time of White Horses
- Yoko Tawada / The Emissary
- Jesmyn Ward / Sing, Unburied, Sing
Robert Con Davis-Undiano, executive director of World Literature Today, the prize’s sponsor said:
“We live in troubled times, and the Neustadt Prize, recognizing the best writers in the world, is a beacon of hope for human adventure. Literature enhances our ability to recognize who we are and who we can become, and the work of the Neustadt jury year after year reflects the ongoing importance of literature in our lives.”
A celebrated Sudanese–American poet whose work spans written and spoken word, Safia Elhillo holds a BA from NYU’s Gallatin School and an MFA in poetry from The New School. Elhillo has received numerous honors, including the Brunel University African Poetry Prize (2015), the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets (2016), and the Arab American Book Award for The January Children (2018). Her poems have appeared in prestigious journals such as Poetry magazine and Callaloo, and she has performed internationally on stages like TEDxNewYork and in campaigns such as Under Armour’s “Unlike Any”. Elhillo’s notable collections include The January Children (2017), Home Is Not a Country (2021), Girls That Never Die (2022), and the recent Bright Red Fruit (2024).
Since its founding in 1970, the Neustadt Prize has recognized writers from across the globe, including Gabriel García Márquez, Czesław Miłosz, and Edwidge Danticat. The most recent winner, in 2024, was Mauritian writer Ananda Devi.
The prize winner announcement will be made on Tuesday, Oct. 21, during the Neustadt Lit Fest, which this year honors Cherie Dimaline, laureate of the 2025 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Festival events are free and open to the public.
To learn more about the Neustadt and NSK Prizes, click here.
Congratulations, Safia Elhillo!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
