The New York Times opened a readers’ poll on the 2026 Booker Prize, inviting its audience to choose a favorite among six contenders, according to a report by Alex Marshall. The piece is available on the newspaper’s website at The New York Times reader poll on the 2026 Booker Prize.

The New York Times reported that Marlon James’s novel The Disappearers is a “bettors’ favorite” among the titles in the poll. The summary of the report does not explain how that designation was determined.

According to The New York Times, a dystopian science fiction book and a funny campus novel are among the five other titles that could win. The summary available for this account does not name those five titles, so the remaining contenders are not identified here.

The New York Times asks readers to vote for their favorite title through a link in the article, and the summary presents the poll as the purpose of the piece. It does not describe how the votes will be tallied or when results will be announced, and no such details are reported here.

This account draws solely on the published summary of The New York Times report. No other outlet’s reporting on the poll or the prize shortlist was reviewed for this story.

Sources: The New York Times: Booker Prize 2026: Vote in Our Readers’ Poll.