26/06/2026
CONGRATULATIONS to Karen and all the Afghan judges who helped write the book: ‘The Orwell Prize Introducing the winner of the 2026 Orwell Prize for Political Writing - The Escape from Kabul, by Karen Bartlett. Congratulations, Karen!
Chair of Judges, Rohan Silva, said: “For this year’s prize, we especially looked for books that honour Orwell’s commitment to lucid language and
intellectual honesty. By both of these standards, The Escape from Kabul smashes it out of the park.”
“It’s taut and crisp, and shines a light on a story that deserves attention. The plight of Afghanistan’s immensely brave female judges in the face of Islamic fundamentalism is a gripping tale - and Karen Bartlett tells it with deep reserves of empathy and compassion. The book is truly Orwellian in the most positive sense, and a richly merited winner.”
Thank you to all our judges - Rohan Silva, Sam Bowman, Jessie Lau, Lawrence Freedman, and Katie Prescott, to all our finalists and to everyone who has read along with the prize this year.
The Orwell Prizes exist to encourage and promote good writing and thinking about politics, inspired by Orwell’s own ambition to “make political writing into an art”. In today’s world, with truth itself under assault from every direction, that legacy has never been more important.’
Duckworth Books
