E.J. Swift wins the 40th Arthur C. Clarke Award

E.J. Swift has won the 2026 Arthur C. Clarke Award for When There Are Wolves Again, published by Arcadia. The award, now in its 40th presentation, was announced in London on 12 August 2026. The prize is £2,026, following the award's practice since 2001 of raising the cheque by a pound each year.

The novel follows two women, an activist named Lucy and a filmmaker named Hester, over several decades as they work to reverse the damage of the climate crisis. The award director, Tom Hunter, singled out its treatment of long-term hope in the face of climate breakdown.

The shortlist also included Dungeon Crawler Carl, The Dream Hotel, Luminous, There Is No Antimemetics Division and The Salt Oracle.

The winner points to a steady interest among readers and judges in climate fiction that looks past disaster towards repair. Writers working in that area may find it encouraging that a book about restoration, rather than collapse, took the prize.

Sources: File 770: E. J. Swift wins 2026 Arthur C. Clarke Award; Kirkus Reviews: E.J. Swift wins 2026 Arthur C. Clarke Award.