The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced today at 4:30 PM IST by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. Here is how the winner is chosen.

The prize goes to the author who has produced outstanding work "in an idealistic direction", as Alfred Nobel's will puts it. The 18-member Swedish Academy runs a secretive, year-long selection process. Nominations come only from qualified nominators, including academy members, literature professors and past laureates, and stay sealed for 50 years.

This year's favourites named in media reports include Chinese author Can Xue, Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, alongside names like Haruki Murakami and Anne Carson. But predictions often miss: the Academy is famous for surprise picks.

The 2025 prize went to Hungary's László Krasznahorkai and the 2024 prize to South Korea's Han Kang. Today's announcement reveals only the laureate's name; the medals are presented by the King of Sweden at a ceremony on December 10. The Peace prize follows on Friday.