The announcement marks a crucial milestone in the annual literary calendar, narrowing down an extensive field of submissions evaluated by independent panels of judges, consisting of acclaimed authors, critics, translators, and scholars. These panels sifted through hundreds of eligible titles published in the United States over the past year to curate a definitive list of works that demonstrate exceptional literary merit, originality, and cultural resonance.
The ultimate winners in each of the five categories will be revealed at the upcoming 77th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner, a premier gala event held annually in New York City. In addition to the immense prestige and national recognition that accompanies the honor, winners will each receive a cash prize of $10,000, alongside a traditional bronze medal and a commemorative statue. Meanwhile, all authors named as finalists will also be celebrated for their achievements, each receiving a $1,000 prize and a bronze medal.
Until the winners are announced at the gala later this year, readers, critics, and literary enthusiasts can turn their attention to the officially selected finalists across the categories.
FICTION:
The fiction category features a powerful lineup of established literary forces and inventive storytellers whose works explore complex human relationships, memory, identity, and narrative structure.
Hannah Lillith Assadi is recognized for Paradiso 17, published by Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Assadi’s work continues to draw critical acclaim for its lyrical prose and atmospheric depth.
Joining the fiction shortlist is Edwidge Danticat for Dèy, also published by Knopf / Penguin Random House. Danticat, a celebrated voice in contemporary literature renowned for her profound explorations of diaspora, history, and resilience, offers another deeply moving narrative in this latest release.
Julián Delgado Lopera earns a finalist spot for Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You, published by Liveright under W. W. Norton & Company. Delgado Lopera’s sharp storytelling brings distinct cultural perspectives and vibrant character dynamics to the forefront of the category.
Valeria Luiselli is recognized for Beginning Middle End, published by Knopf / Penguin Random House. Luiselli, known for her structurally inventive and intellectually rigorous fiction and essays, presents a work that further cements her status as a vital voice in modern letters.
Rounding out the fiction finalists is Morgan Thomas for Mad Eden, published by MCD, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux under Macmillan Publishers. Thomas’s narrative pushes boundaries with its imaginative scope and emotional resonance.
NONFICTION:
The nonfiction category highlights compelling works of journalism, memoir, historical investigation, and cultural critique that challenge conventional understandings and shed light on crucial societal narratives.
Colin Asher is named a finalist for The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music, published by W. W. Norton & Company. Asher’s meticulously researched book explores hidden histories and the profound intersections between institutional confinement and artistic expression.
Abdelrahman ElGendy earns a spot on the shortlist for Huna: A Memoir of Revolution, Prison, and Becoming, published by Hogarth / Penguin Random House. The memoir offers a searing, personal account of political upheaval, incarceration, and personal transformation.
Camonghne Felix is recognized for Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom, published by One World / Penguin Random House. Felix’s work offers an urgent, visionary framework for liberation and artistic autonomy.
Sara Noviđ is a finalist for Mother Tongue, published by Random House / Penguin Random House. Noviđ brings her characteristic insight and emotional clarity to a narrative deeply invested in language, memory, and heritage.
Joseph Osmundson rounds out the nonfiction category with Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood, published by Bloomsbury Publishing. Osmundson’s experimental and deeply reflective book examines the complexities, joys, and political realities of queer family-making.
POETRY:
The poetry finalists demonstrate the extraordinary range and formal ingenuity of contemporary verse, touching on themes of ecology, witness, grief, and the natural world.
Victoria Chang is recognized for Tree of Knowledge, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Macmillan Publishers. Chang, a widely celebrated poet known for her formally innovative and emotionally shattering collections, continues to probe the depths of memory and loss.
Carolina Ebeid earns a finalist position for Hide, published by Graywolf Press. Ebeid’s poetry is noted for its lush imagery, linguistic precision, and evocative exploration of visibility and concealment.
Brenda Hillman is selected for Still House in the Desert: An eco-contemplation, published by Wesleyan University Press. Hillman, a long-established voice in American poetry, offers a meditative collection deeply engaged with environmental consciousness and landscape.
Fady Joudah is recognized for Exhibit G: Poems, Essays, and Photographs of Gaza, published by Milkweed Editions. Joudah’s multifaceted work combines verse, critical prose, and visual art to serve as an urgent testament of witness and survival.
Susan Stewart rounds out the poetry shortlist with Bramble, published by University of Chicago Press. Stewart’s verse is celebrated for its deep intellectual rigor, lyrical grace, and close attention to the details of the physical and natural worlds.
TRANSLATED LITERATURE:
Celebrating the vital bridge-building work of translators alongside authors, the translated literature category honors extraordinary international works brought into English from around the globe.
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. Knausgaard, renowned for his sweeping narratives and deep philosophical inquiries, offers another immersive reading experience.
Vicente Luis Mora earns a finalist spot for Centroeuropa, translated from the Spanish by Rahul Bery and published by Bellevue Literary Press. The novel explores complex historical and geographical landscapes through a distinctly contemporary lens.
Intan Paramaditha is named a finalist for Night of a Thousand Hells, translated from the Indonesian by Stephen Epstein and Tiffany Tsao, and published by Europa Editions. Paramaditha’s fiction is celebrated for its dark, speculative edges and sharp political commentary.
Mohamed Mbougar Sarr is recognized for Pure Men, translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud and published by Other Press. Sarr brings his characteristic narrative intensity and moral complexity to this translated work.
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. The book compiles vital testimonies of endurance, resilience, and humanity amid unimaginable crisis.
YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE:
The young people’s literature category highlights outstanding books written for children and teenagers, addressing complex emotional terrain, historical milestones, and imaginative storytelling.
Elana K. Arnold is recognized for Holloway, published by Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Arnold is known for crafting psychologically astute and emotionally resonant narratives for younger readers.
Tae Keller earns a finalist position for When Tomorrow Burns, published by Random House Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House. Keller, a Newbery Medalist, brings imaginative depth and rich character development to this new release.
Keala Kendall is selected for That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic, published by Random House Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House. Kendall’s novel infuses atmospheric gothic tropes with a distinct regional and cultural setting.
David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels are named finalists for The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America, published by Knopf Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House. The collaborative work provides a necessary, rigorous historical account of the AIDS crisis for younger audiences.
Julian Randall rounds out the young people’s literature shortlist with Shook, published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR) under Macmillan Publishers. Randall’s writing brings sharp lyricism, cultural insight, and deep empathy to contemporary youth fiction.
As the literary community prepares for the upcoming 77th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner in New York City, attention will remain fixed on these exceptional authors, translators, and their publishers as they await the final announcement of the winners.
