

PANEL OF JUDGES

Sanam Maher

Noreen Masud

Sameer Rahim
ANNOUNCING THE PANEL OF JUDGES 2026
We are pleased to announce the panel of judges for 2026:
•Sanam Maher is a journalist from Karachi. Her book, A Woman Like Her: The Short Life of Qandeel Baloch (Bloomsbury 2019), on the murder of Pakistan's first social media celebrity, was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times and The New Yorker. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC and Al Jazeera, among other publications and media. Since 2020, she has been a mentor for South Asia Speaks, a literary incubator for young writers in the region. She is also a contributing editor at Translator, a UK-based magazine of translated journalism and reportage from around the world. •Noreen Masud is an Associate Professor in English Literature at the University of Bristol, and an AHRC/BBC New Generation Thinker. Her academic monograph, Stevie Smith and the Aphorism: Hard Language (2022) won the MSA First Book Award 2023 and the University English Prize in 2024. Her memoir-travelogue, A Flat Place (Penguin 2023), was shortlisted for The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Trust Young Writer of the Year Award, The Jhalak Prize, The RSL Ondaatje Prize and the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards. •Sameer Rahim is a British novelist, critic, and publisher with nearly two decades of experience in literary journalism. He has held editorial roles at publications including The London Review of Books, The Daily Telegraph, and Prospect magazine, where he served as Deputy Editor. In 2022, Rahim was appointed Publisher at The Bridge Street Press, a non-fiction imprint of Little, Brown, a subsidiary of Hachette. Rahim’s debut novel, Asghar and Zahra (John Murray, 2019), received critical acclaim and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. His second novel, The English Boys, will be published in 2027. Rahim has also served as a judge for several literary awards, including the Forward Prize for Poetry, the Orwell Prize for Political Writing, the Costa Poetry Award, and the 2020 Booker Prize.
2025 RESULTS
WINNER
Chai and the City
by
Sidra Nisar
The winning author, Sidra Nisar, is a 27-year-old writer from Karachi whose story was inspired by the city itself. “Many of these reflections came to me while sitting at real chai dhabas, watching people gather over chai. There’s something profoundly human about those moments when students, workers, and dreamers find the same comfort in a single, steaming cup. Chai, for me, has become more than just a drink; it is an emotion — a universal language of comfort, celebration, and love. Through this story, I wanted to capture how one cup of chai can hold an entire city’s heart.”
The Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize for Women is delighted to announce that the Award for 2025 goes to writer Sidra Nisar for her compelling short story CHAI AND THE CITY. The judging panel was deeply moved by the emotional depth of the winning story, praising the funny, wistful, and tender character sketches of the customers who visit a Karachi chai dhaba seen through the eyes of Chacha Wahid, the owner-cum-listener of the place
Sidra will receive a cash award of Rs 100,000.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Ajrak and Ashes
by
Zahra Haider
A not unfamiliar theme of the discovery of another wife after the death of a husband is given fresh impetus as a contemplation of sisterhood blossoming from a shared intimacy.

Ghusl Before Maghrib
by
Maryam Zahid
As the Azan sounds, a woman performs her ablutions. An atmospheric story full of powerful sensuousness and imagery with a plot that cleverly subverts expectations.

Drenched in Qorma and Dread
by
Sumayya Arshed
An amusing satire about a family meal at Eid that interrogates gender roles with wit in a voice that is both deeply serious and hilarious.

Motia
by
Alina Ehtesham
Seen through the eyes of a child, a second wife joins the household. An ode to friendship and trust between women across generations, and to the ways that patriarchy and cycles of violence can be resisted.

The Etymology of Maman
by
Elia Rathore
A polished piece of writing that examines a mother-daughter relationship as it evolves before, during and after a camping trip to the mountains.

ANNOUNCING THE PANEL OF JUDGES 2025
This year there there is a slimmed down panel of just three judges: •   Uzma Aslam Khan is the prize-winning author of five novels published worldwide. Her most recent book The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali was included in The New York Times' list for Best Historical Fiction 2022 as well as in their list of Books for Summer 2022. It won several literary awards including the Massachusetts Book Award 2023. •   Ailah Ahmed is Publishing Director at Hutchinson Heinemann, Penguin Random House UK where she publishes literary fiction and book club titles. Her authors have been shortlisted for major prizes and have hit the Sunday Times bestsellers list. •   Omar Shahid Hamid is an award-winning Pakistani novelist from Karachi.  Known for his gritty crime thrillers, he is the author of 6 acclaimed novels. The Prisoner (2013) proved to be a huge critical and commercial success and is being adapted for a screenplay by Netflix. In addition to his writing career, he has served as a senior counter terrorism police officer who, in between writing books, has survived several attempts on his life and had his offices blown up by the Taliban.

