Julia Elliott wins $150,000USD Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for Hellions
Julia Elliott during her acceptance speech. Credit: Alex Lam for George Pimentel Photography.
Toronto / New York, June 2, 2026 — Julia Elliott has been named the winner of the 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fictionfor her short story collection, Hellions, published by Tin House. The award, which provides $150,000USD to the winner, is the largest English-language literary prize in the world for women and non-binary authors.
The announcement was made at a live event in Toronto, Canada hosted by acclaimed journalist Liz Renzetti. Members of dynamic literary communities from Canada and the U.S. gathered to celebrate Elliott’s significant win, as well as the other finalists: Quiara Alegría Hudes (The White Hot), Lee Lai (Cannon), Megha Majumdar (A Guardian and a Thief), and Sonya Walger (Lion).
Of the winning title, the Jury,made up of Carmen Maria Machado (Jury Chair), Ivan Coyote, Cherie Dimaline, Chitra Divakaruni, and Deesha Philyaw shared:
“This eerie, eclectic, genre-leaping collection takes no half-measures; every sentence of Hellions crackles or crawls. Here, human folly moves against a backdrop of horror and magic. There’s folklore in these stories, and Southern gothic horror, and surrealism, and fantasy, and, at their center, a thread of uneasy, bodily realism. The work evokes writers like Angela Carter, Dorothy Allison, Gloria Naylor, and Kelly Link. But for all its wildness, there is tremendous control; Elliott is a gifted and thrilling writer.”
People Magazine shared the news in an exclusive!
Elliott will receive $150,000 USD and a five-night stay at Fogo Island Inn; the four finalists will each receive $12,500 USD. The four finalists and the winner are invited to participate in a group retreat residency in the Leighton Artist Studios, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. We are grateful to Fogo Island Inn and the Banff Centre for their contributions. The prize is generously supported by BMO, which has been the award sponsor since 2023.
“BMO is proud to support the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. This Prize helps advance inclusion in the literary world and recognizes exceptional storytelling from under-represented voices. It reflects BMO’s commitment to building stronger communities by supporting organizations and initiatives that broaden perspectives and foster connection.”
Helen Seibel, VP and Head of Community and Employee Giving at BMO.
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction was created to recognize novels, short story collections, and graphic novels written by women and non-binary authors and published in the U.S. and Canada.
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction aims to celebrate and amplify exceptional writing by women and non-binary authors working in the United States and Canada. Novels, short story collections, and graphic novels, including translations, written by women and non-binary authors are eligible for the Prize. In addition to the annual Prize, the Carol Shields Prize Foundation supports nearly a dozen residencies, mentorships, and scholarship opportunities for women and non-binary writers, working to address inequality in the literary world.
We thank Another Story Bookshop for being the booksellers for our reading event celebrating the shortlist at Lula Lounge, hosted by 2025 Shields Prize winner Canisia Lubrin. We also thank Ben McNally Books for being the official bookseller at the Prize Ceremony. You can get all our longlisted, shortlisted, and winner titles from them, including some signed copies.
We are also deeply thankful to our lead supporters, BMO Financial Group and TAWANI Foundation, and to all our supporters and donors who make our work possible, especially our lead event sponsor this year, Sourcebooks.
Go to our website for more information and a full media toolkit, including digital assets and the official press release.
If you are in the U.S., click here to shop the 2026 Prize list on Bookshop.org via our affiliate link. We get a small percentage of every sale. Find places to shop the shortlist in Canada on our website.
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and our Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/carolshieldsprizeforfiction/2026-shortlist
