Global sensation Dua Lipa is gearing up to play a pivotal role as the Booker Prize Foundation commemorates a significant milestone in international literature.

This year signifies a decade of the International Booker Prize in its current format, during which it has applauded exceptional writing from various corners of the globe, recognized 10 champions across 10 different languages, and spurred a notable surge in the sales of translated fiction in the UK.

The acclaimed Grammy and BRIT Award-winning creator of the Service95 Book Club, renowned for her avid reading habits and fervent backing of translated fiction, will kick off the upcoming festivities. A close associate of the prize, Lipa will offer a high-profile start to a special public event at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday, May 8, 2026.

The evening aims to assemble influential figures from the history of the International Booker Prize to provide an immersive insight into the creation and promotion of exceptional translated fiction.

The prize’s impact over the past decade has been profound, serving as a reliable indicator of the top accolades in the literary realm. Four authors acknowledged by the International Booker Prize have proceeded to clinch the Nobel Prize in Literature: Han Kang, Jon Fosse, Annie Ernaux, and Olga Tokarczuk.

The commemorative program includes an in-depth exploration of this legacy, featuring a dialogue between Deepa Bhasthi, the translator of Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp, the 2025 International Booker Prize winner, and the multi-nominated translator and 2017 judge Daniel Hahn.

Furthermore, David Diop, the author of At Night All Blood is Black, the 2021 International Booker Prize recipient, will engage in a conversation with the acclaimed historian and 2021 judge Olivette Otele.

The event will also delve into the business aspects of these literary triumphs, with publisher Jacques Testard of Fitzcarraldo Editions, boasting a record 17 International Booker Prize nominations, and agent Laurence Laluyaux of RCW Literary Agency, representing laureates like Han Kang and Olga Tokarczuk, among others, taking part.

Together, they have published six Nobel Prize in Literature laureates and will divulge the keys to their success in discussion with Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation.

Supported by Bukhman Philanthropies and the Southbank Centre, the event shines a light on a decade of global storytelling that has fundamentally reshaped the reading habits of the UK. From Lipa’s advocacy to the scholarly efforts of translators, the celebration pays tribute to the diverse languages and voices that have defined the prize’s inaugural decade.