International
Belgium: Moroccan author Zineb Mekouar wins the 2026 Horizon Prize for a second novel
Her novel Remember the Bees, praised for its poetic and sensitive writing, takes readers into Morocco’s High Atlas through the eyes of a child initiated into the secrets of an ancient collective beehive, blending family memory, the transmission of knowledge, and climate challenges.
Moroccan author Zineb Mekouar won the Horizon Prize in Belgium on Saturday for her novel Remember the Bees, published by Gallimard. Praised for its poetic and sensitive writing, the book immerses the reader in Morocco’s High Atlas through the eyes of a child initiated into the secrets of an ancient collective beehive, weaving together family memory, the transmission of knowledge, and climate-related issues.
Awarded in Marche-en-Famenne, in southern Belgium, the Horizon Prize recognises every two years the best second novel written in French. Created twelve years ago, it stands out for its original selection process: after an initial shortlist is drawn up by a panel of professionals from around fifty works, the winner is chosen directly by readers, organised into reading committees in Belgium and in France’s Grand Est region.
Zineb Mekouar was selected following a day of meetings and exchanges between the five finalist authors and these reader committees. The other finalists in this 8th edition were Claire Vesin, Marie Mangez, Ketty Rouf, and Benjamin de Laforcade.
Deeply moved after the announcement of the results, the writer described it as “a very beautiful day of exchanges, very enriching and deeply human,” highlighting the richness of direct engagement between authors and readers. “It creates social bonds. We can see how literature can help rebuild connections and encourage readers to speak to one another about books,” she told MAP, adding that “literature is not simply about reading a book; it is also about discussing it, sharing it, and coming together.”
This new award adds to a series of distinctions already received by Remember the Bees, including the Henri de Régnier Prize 2025 from the Académie française, the Folire Prize 2025, a place among the Académie Goncourt’s “summer favourites” in 2024, and a selection for the 2024 Jean Giono Prize.
Born in Casablanca in 1991 and based in Paris since 2009, Zineb Mekouar first gained attention with her debut novel The Hen and Her Cumin, published in 2022 by JC Lattès and shortlisted for the Goncourt Prize for a first novel.
