Our 2026 cohort of Fellows and Honorary Fellows were inducted into the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) on the evening of Monday 29 June 2026 at the RSL’s annual summer party – the first time their election to the Fellowship has been publicly announced.
At the evening’s event, new Fellows and Honorary Fellows elected in 2026 signed their names in the RSL roll book using a pen from its permanent collection. The RSL’s pens are from some of the most historically influential UK writers including Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, T.S. Eliot, Andrea Levy, Jean Rhys and Arnold Wesker. The RSL Roll Book dates back to 1825, five years after the founding of the charity in 1820, and features the signature of Fellows and Honorary Fellows elected over the past 200 years.
2026 RSL Fellows and Honorary Fellows
22 new Fellows were announced today: Arifa Akbar, Jake Arnott, Joanna Biggs, Dinah Birch, Leo Boix, James Campbell, Lauren Child, Patricia Duncker, Melissa Harrison, Sophie Herxheimer, Katie Hickman, Kapka Kassabova, Stuart Kelly, Nigella Lawson, Roger Lewis, Tim Liardet, Ankhi Mukherjee, Chris Riddell, Claudia Roden, Lola Shoneyin, Nell Stevens and Philip Terry.
Six new Honorary Fellows were announced today: Paul Burston, Elise Dillsworth, Ted Hodgkinson, Caroline McCormick, Judith Palmer and Reza Vishkai.
The RSL’s Honorary Fellows are individuals who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of literature in the UK, or who have rendered special service to the Society.
Benson Medallist
Founded in 1916 by scholar, author and RSL Fellow A.C. Benson, the Benson Medal honours service to literature across a whole career. This year the Benson Medal has been awarded to Judith Palmer. Palmer has been Director of The Poetry Society since 2008, where she has focused on developing new generations of poets and commissioning new work. A writer, broadcaster and journalist, she has a background in literature development (including at the Southbank Centre and the Women’s Library), publishing, and curating public event programmes. She has research interests in collaborative and nature-based practice, and created the Field Hospital oral history project for Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. She is a Trustee of the Keats Foundation.