Vijay Khurana wins the McKitterick Prize

Vijay Khurana has won the McKitterick Prize 2026 for a debut novel published by someone over 40, as adjudicated by the Society of Authors. 

One of this year's judges, novelist and critic Kathy O'Shaughnessy, said of the book: "Two teenage boys are on a road trip in west Canada: fearful, anxious, microscopically aware of each other. Slowly the move towards violence feels unavoidable. What makes this debut so formidable is Khurana’s psychological acuity, which is splendid – needle-sharp and real. A really gifted and humane addition to the toxic masculinity debate."