The Jhalak Prize was established in 2016 to celebrate books by British and British resident writers of colour and the Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize was founded in 2020. We are delighted to be partnering with the Jhalak Prize to offer shortlisted and winning authors complimentary London Library membership with full access to the Library’s collection of around one million books and to its extensive online resources.

The shortlisted works for the Jhalak Prize 2022 have been announced. They are:

Consumed, Arifa Akbar (Sceptre)

Somebody Loves You, Mona Arshi (And Other Stories)

Like a Tree, Walking, Vahni Capildeo (Carcanet)

Keeping the House, Tice Cin (And Other Stories)

The Roles We Play, Sabba Khan (Myriad)

Things I Have Withheld,  Kei Miller (Canongate Books)

The shortlist for the Children's & YA category has also been shared. It is:

Ace of Spades, Faridah Àbíkí-Íyímídé (Usborne) 

We're Going to Find the Monster, Malorie Blackman & Dapo Adeola (Puffin) 

The Musical Truth: A Musical History of Modern Black Britain in 28 Songs, Jeffrey Boakye, illustrated Ngadi Smart, (Faber & Faber)  

Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths, Maisie Chan (Piccadilly Press) 

The Sound of Everything, Rebecca Henry (Everything With Words) 

The Crossing, Manjeet Mann (Penguin Random House Children’s)

We are hosting a celebration of the nominated authors on Wednesday 11 May which will feature readings by the shortlisted authors. Tickets are available here.

For the next three years, the shortlisted authors for the Jhalak Prize and the new Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize will receive a complimentary one-year membership and the winning authors of both prizes will receive a complimentary two-year membership of The London Library.