The 2026 Emerging Writer Prize shortlists announced!
With the Emerging Writer Prize, Rakuten Kobo endeavours to raise the profiles of debut authors by recognizing exceptional books written by first-time Canadian authors in three categories: Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, and one of three types of genre fiction: Romance, Speculative Fiction, or Mystery.
The winners will be announced June 24, 2026. We invite you to get to know the 2026 finalists and judges below.
The 2026 Nonfiction Shortlist
The 2026 Literary Fiction Shortlist
The 2026 Speculative Fiction Shortlist
Kate Harris, Nonfiction
Kate Harris is the author of Lands of Lost Borders, a national bestseller about cycling the Silk Road that won the 2019 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Nonfiction, as well as the RBC Taylor Prize, the Edna Staebler Award, the Boardman Tasker Prize, and the Banff Mountain Book Award for Adventure Travel. Her writing has also featured in Granta, The Walrus, Arc Poetry Magazine, and The Georgia Review, with notable mentions in Best American Essays and Best American Travel Writing. A Rhodes scholar with a background in geobiology and the history and philosophy of science, she splits life between Toronto and an off-grid cabin in northernmost British Columbia.
Souvankham Thammavongsa, Literary Fiction
Souvankham Thammavongsa is the author of the short story collection, How to Pronounce Knife, and the novel Pick a Colour. Her stories have won an O. Henry prize and appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic, and Granta.
Natalie Zina Walschots, Speculative Fiction
Natalie Zina Walschots is a writer and game designer. She is the author of Hench, a novel about the mistreated and undervalued employees of supervillains. The direct sequel, Villain, will be released in May 2026. Her work also includes LARP scripts, heavy metal music journalism, video game lore, and weirder things classified as "interactive experiences." She is the author of two books of experimental poetry: Thumbscrews and DOOM: Love Poems for Supervillains. Natalie plays a lot of TTRPGs, participates in a lot of Nordic LARPs, watches a lot of horror movies and reads a lot of speculative fiction. She lives in Nova Scotia with her partner and four morally bankrupt cats.
The Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize through the years
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2025
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Romance
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2024
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Mystery
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2023
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Speculative Fiction
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2022
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Romance
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2021
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Mystery
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2020
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Speculative Fiction
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2019
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Romance
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2018
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Mystery
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2017
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Speculative Fiction
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2016
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Romance
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize 2015
Winners in Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, and Mystery