The National Book Foundation officially announced the finalists for the 2026 National Book Awards, spotlighting outstanding literary works across five competitive categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. The announcement marks a major milestone in the literary calendar, narrowing down an extensive season of publishing to a select group of authors whose works have resonated deeply with critics, readers, and judges alike.
The culmination of this year’s awards cycle will take place in New York City during the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner, where the ultimate winners in each category will be revealed. For the authors who take home the top honors, the recognition comes with a $10,000 cash prize, a bronze medal, and an official statue. Meanwhile, all shortlisted finalists are celebrated for their achievements, each receiving a $1,000 prize alongside a bronze medal, cementing their place among the year’s most celebrated literary voices.
As the literary community turns its attention toward the upcoming awards ceremony in New York City, the complete slate of finalists highlights a diverse and compelling range of storytelling, historical inquiry, lyrical exploration, and international translation.
FICTION
The fiction category features a dynamic group of novelists exploring complex human emotions, historical echoes, and imaginative landscapes.
Hannah Lillith Assadi enters the shortlist with Paradiso 17, published by Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Assadi’s work continues to draw attention for its atmospheric prose and emotional resonance.
Joining the fiction finalists is acclaimed author Edwidge Danticat with Dèy, also published by Knopf / Penguin Random House. Danticat’s profound contributions to contemporary literature are further underscored by this latest nomination.
Julián Delgado Lopera brings a distinct narrative voice with Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You, published by Liveright / W. W. Norton & Company, offering readers a striking exploration of character and connection.
Valeria Luiselli earns a spot on the fiction shortlist with Beginning Middle End, another major release from Knopf / Penguin Random House, adding to her celebrated body of work characterized by stylistic innovation and sharp observation.
Rounding out the fiction category is Morgan Thomas with Mad Eden, published by MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, showcasing a compelling vision that expands the boundaries of contemporary storytelling.
NONFICTION
The nonfiction category highlights powerful works of memoir, investigative cultural history, and deeply personal examinations of society, politics, and identity.
Colin Asher is recognized for The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music, published by W. W. Norton & Company, which delves into the hidden histories connecting incarceration and American musical traditions.
Abdelrahman ElGendy shares a harrowing and transformative personal narrative in Huna: A Memoir of Revolution, Prison, and Becoming, published by Hogarth / Penguin Random House, detailing experiences of political upheaval and individual resilience.
Camonghne Felix contributes to the nonfiction dialogue with Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom, published by One World / Penguin Random House, presenting a visionary look at art, governance, and autonomy.
Sara Nović explores themes of language, communication, and human connection in Mother Tongue, published by Random House / Penguin Random House, bringing her sharp insight to the nonfiction genre.
Joseph Osmundson rounds out the nonfiction finalists with Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, blending personal narrative with cultural critique to examine modern family-making.
POETRY
In the poetry category, five distinct collections demonstrate the power of verse to capture ecological awareness, historical witness, and intimate reflection.
Victoria Chang is recognized for Tree of Knowledge, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Macmillan Publishers, a collection that continues her exploration of memory, grief, and intellectual lineage.
Carolina Ebeid earns a finalist spot with Hide, published by Graywolf Press, showcasing a precise and evocative poetic style that navigates the unseen layers of experience.
Brenda Hillman presents Still House in the Desert: An eco-contemplation, published by Wesleyan University Press, turning her lens toward environmental consciousness, contemplation, and the natural world.
Fady Joudah offers a poignant and urgent collection with Exhibit G: Poems, Essays, and Photographs of Gaza, published by Milkweed Editions, combining multiple artistic mediums to bear witness to profound human realities.
Susan Stewart completes the poetry shortlist with Bramble, published by University of Chicago Press, a masterclass in lyrical depth and philosophical inquiry.
TRANSLATED LITERATURE
The translated literature category celebrates the global scope of contemporary storytelling and the vital art of literary translation, bringing international perspectives to English-language readers.
Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard is recognized for The School of Night, translated from the Norwegian by Martin Aitken and published by Penguin Press / Penguin Random House.
Vicente Luis Mora enters the shortlist with Centroeuropa, translated from the Spanish by Rahul Bery and published by Bellevue Literary Press, expanding the geographical reach of this year’s finalists.
Intan Paramaditha contributes Night of a Thousand Hells, translated from the Indonesian by Stephen Epstein and Tiffany Tsao, published by Europa Editions, bringing Southeast Asian speculative storytelling to the forefront.
Mohamed Mbougar Sarr is recognized for Pure Men, translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud and published by Other Press, further cementing his literary prominence on the international stage.
Samar Yazbek rounds out the translated literature category with Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life: Voices of Survival and Witness in Gaza, translated from the Arabic by Leri Price and published by Other Press, offering a vital collection of testimony and endurance.
YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE
The finalists in Young People’s Literature offer young readers compelling narratives that navigate history, speculative elements, emotional growth, and social awareness.
Elana K. Arnold is nominated for Holloway, published by Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, known for its gripping storytelling and psychological depth.
Tae Keller enters the shortlist with When Tomorrow Burns, published by Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, bringing imaginative world-building and resonant themes to young audiences.
Keala Kendall explores atmospheric territory with That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic, also published by Random House Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House, infusing regional folklore with gothic tension.
David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels collaborate on The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America, published by Knopf Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House, providing vital historical nonfiction context regarding a defining era of public health and activism.
Julian Randall completes the young people’s literature category with Shook, published by Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, delivering a powerful narrative that speaks directly to contemporary youth experiences.
