Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2026

The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction unveiled its 2026 longlist today, Thursday 3rd September, featuring 13 remarkable books showcasing that all the best stories are true, including Jane Rogoyska’s ‘Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War’.

Kirsty Lang, award-winning broadcaster and chair of judges, said, “A god-king, a French film star, a romantic novelist, an 18th century explorer, and a fascinating coterie of spies, revolutionaries, emigres and artists are just some of the extraordinary casts of characters that readers will encounter when exploring this year’s longlist.

This year’s longlist brings together vivid biographies and revelatory true stories, including of major literary figure James Baldwin, romance novelist and socialite Barbara Cartland, and eighteenth-century naturalist and explorer George Forster. Readers are also taken from the ancient world through the life of Alexander the Great to the famed Parisian Hôtel Lutetia during its wartime transformation.

More information: The Baillie Gifford Prize 2026