LONDON — The two debut authors who made history at the Women's Prize 2026 — winning both the fiction and non-fiction categories in the same year — appeared Saturday at the Southbank Centre for a joint celebration event, their first public readings since the awards were announced Friday evening.

The event, organised in partnership with the Women's Prize Foundation and held in the Royal Festival Hall's smaller studio space, drew a capacity audience of book lovers, literary journalists, and publishing industry figures. Both authors read from their prize-winning works and took questions from a moderator before signing copies for waiting readers.

The fiction winner, whose epistolary novel was cited by judges for its emotional precision and structural originality, described the prize as 'entirely surreal' and said she had written the book over four years while working a full-time job. The non-fiction winner, whose work centres on contemporary Afghanistan, told the audience she hoped the book would 'keep a light on people whose stories are in danger of disappearing.'

The Women's Prize director, speaking before the readings began, called it 'an extraordinary year' for debut writing. She noted that having two first-time authors sweep both main categories had not happened in the prize's three-decade history, adding that the foundation intended to support both writers through an extended touring programme across the UK and Ireland this summer.

Booksellers reported strong overnight sales following Friday's announcement, with both titles climbing to the top of online charts within hours. Several independent bookshops in London, Edinburgh, and Manchester posted sold-out notices on social media by Saturday morning, prompting publishers to confirm emergency reprints would be expedited ahead of the anticipated weekend demand.