American poet Sasha Debevec-McKenney has won the 2026 Dylan Thomas Prize.

Today in a ceremony at Swansea, Decatur-based American poet Sasha Debevec-McKenney was announced as the winner of this year’s £20,000 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, which celebrates literary talent in writers under 40, for her debut collection Joy is My Middle Name.

Debevec-McKenney was “unanimously” selected by this year’s judging panel, which consists of Irenosen Okojie (chair), Joe Dunthorne, Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, Prajwal Parajuly, and Eley Williams. “Incredible,” said Okojie of the book in a statement. “An exuberant, blistering collection full of life, humour and ideas. Debevec-McKenney is a ferociously gifted talent. The book is remarkable in the way it galvanises the reader with a sense of intimacy that is authentic and a voice that feels like an antidote to our tricky times.”

Read our interview with Sasha Debevec-McKenney here.