My Name is Samim wins Jhalak Prize for Children & YA

The winners of the Jhalak Prize 2026 have been announced. The Jhalak Prize recognises books by writers of colour in the UK and Ireland across prose, poetry, and children's and young adult literature. This year is its 10th anniversary.

Fidan Meikle is the winner of the 2026 Jhalak Children's & Young Adult Prize for her middle-grade novel, My Name is Samim, published by the Edinburgh-based independent publisher, Floris Books.

The 2026 Jhalak Prize adult and children's winners were announced on 10th June, with I Want to Talk to You by Diane Evans also​ taking the Prose Prize (Chatto & Windus), and Maggie Harris taking the Poetry Prize for I Sing to the Greenhearts (Seren).

More about My Name is Samim:  The novel follows 13-year-old Samim as he flees Afghanistan and embarks on a long and perilous journey to safety to the UK, offering a child's perspective on the refugee experience in an accessible and realistic way. Read an extract from My Name is Samim.

My Name is Samim has been recognised for its heartbreaking yet hopeful portrayal of displacement and belonging. Author Fidan Meikle said, "Despite the heartbreak, Samim's story is a story of hope. It is my hope that someday soon we move closer to a world where refugee is not what someone is; refugee is what any of us could become, and every person in this world is entitled to safety.'

As well as a prize of £1,000, Meikle received a £1,000 prize and a work of art by Hoang Giang as part of the ongoing Jhalak Art Residency.

ReadingZone review of My Name is Samim:  "Despite its horrors, Samim's tale is one of hope. He is strong, clever and kind. He is everything that he is 'because of the journey' that he has been through - and despite it."

More about the Jhalak Prize Winners 2026                               Jhalak Prize Shortlists 2026