THREE authors have advanced to the final stage of the 2026 Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature, competing for a combined $51,000 in awards — one of the largest prize purses for fiction among South Asia’s indigenous languages.
The stage is now set for the finalists to travel to B.C., where the winner will be announced at the award ceremony on November 18.
The 2026 winner will receive $25,000, while two finalists will each receive $10,000.
An additional $6,000 will support the transliteration of the three award-winning books into Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi, helping them reach Punjabi readers across the world.
The finalists were announced on Tuesday at Surrey Libraries’ Newton branch. They were selected from 58 eligible submissions from Canada, India, Pakistan, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The 2026 Finalists of the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature are:
- Amber Hosseini, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan, for her Shahmukhi book, ‘Nawan Pind’ (‘New Village’), Novel
- Akmal Shazad Ghuman, Islamabad, Capital Territory, Pakistan, for his Shahmukhi book, ‘Parchhawan’ (‘Shadow’), Novel
- Rajpreet Kaur Benipal, Khanna, Punjab, India, for her Gurmukhi book, ‘Qabran Vich Ugge Phull’ (‘Flowers Growing in a Graveyard’), Short Stories
“For 14 years, we’ve been celebrating the writers who are shaping the future of Punjabi literature,” said Barj S. Dhahan, primary founder of the Prize. “These finalists represent the creativity and diversity of Punjabi fiction as it evolves in our time. Their stories demonstrate the strength of a literary tradition that continues to connect readers across the world.”
Established in 2013, the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature is recognized as one of the world’s leading honours for Punjabi fiction in both Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi scripts.
The Prize was founded in Vancouver, reflecting the province’s longstanding connection to Punjabi language, culture and communities. Punjabi is the third most spoken non-official language in Canada, according to the 2021 Census.
The Prize is awarded by the Canada India Education Society (CIES) and was created in partnership with the Department of Asian Studies at University of British Columbia (UBC). It is currently funded by Barj and Rita Dhahan along with family and friends.
