Out Of Africa: Caleb Azumah Nelson Joins Judging Panel For 2027 International Booker Prize

Caleb Azumah Nelson joins the judging panel for the 2027 Bukhman International Booker Prize alongside Katie Kitamura and Tessa Thompson.

The 2027 panel, chaired by critically acclaimed and Booker Prize-shortlisted author Katie Kitamura, also comprises Booker Prize-longlisted writer, translator and Professor of French and Comparative Literature Patrick McGuinness; celebrated writer, translator and International Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Olga Ravn; and award-winning film, television and stage actor and producer Tessa Thompson.

The judges are looking for the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 May 2026 and 30 April 2027.

“Translation represents a dialogue between two minds. The Bukhman International Booker Prize offers readers the opportunity to experience the profound encounter between author and translator. As a prize, it is exemplary in the way it recognises the work of both participants. The celebration and support of this intrinsically human collaboration feels particularly vital right now. I feel especially fortunate to embark on this year of reading in the company of my fellow judges, artists and thinkers I have admired for many years. I am looking forward to learning with and from them, to having my mind changed, and to sharing in the thrill of discovery”, said Kitamura, reacting to the announcement.

Commenting on the panel, Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, added: “We could not have found a better group to lead the charge than this year’s judges. They are phenomenal: each of them has a rich background in collaboration, international enquiry and creative work, and they will, I’m sure, be all the more brilliant for thinking together under Katie’s aegis. I’m deeply excited to listen to their conversations.”

Caleb Azumah Nelson is a writer and filmmaker living in South-East London. His debut novel, Open Water, was a number one Sunday Times bestseller, won the Costa First Novel Award 2021 and Debut Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2022. It was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Gordon Burn Prize, shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2021, and selected as a Waterstones Paperback of the Month in 2022. Nelson’s second novel, Small Worlds, was a Sunday Times bestseller and won the 2024 Dylan Thomas Prize. He was selected as a National Book Foundation ‘5 Under 35’ honouree by Brit Bennett.

The TV adaptation of Open Water, an eight-part series for which Nelson is the lead writer, director and executive producer, is currently in production and will air on BBC One in 2027. He is also working on an original feature, The Last Stop, with Heyday and Film4. His short film Pray, starring David Jonsson, premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and has since been shown at numerous festivals, including the London Film Festival.

A longlist of 12 or 13 books will be announced on Tuesday, 16 March 2027, with a shortlist of six books to follow on Thursday, 15 April 2027. The winning book will be announced at a ceremony in May 2027.

Grant-giving organisation Bukhman Philanthropies has made a generous commitment to fund the next 10 years of the International Booker Prize, following its support of the prize in 2026. In recognition of the decade-long partnership, the prize will be named the Bukhman International Booker Prize. As part of Bukhman Philanthropies’ dedication to celebrating and rewarding the vital art of translation, the prize fund for the winning title will double in value from £50,000 to £100,000, to be split equally between the author and translator(s). Each shortlisted title will continue to be awarded a prize of £5,000: £2,500 for the author and £2,500 for the translator(s).