National Book Foundation Announces Finalists for 2026 National Book Awards

David Steinberger, Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Book Foundation, expressed gratitude to the judges for their efforts. He emphasized the importance of the National Book Awards in fostering connections between readers, authors, and significant conversations nationwide.

The finalists by category are as follows:

Fiction:

- Hannah Lillith Assadi, *Paradiso 17*, Knopf

- Edwidge Danticat, *Dèy*, Knopf

- Julián Delgado Lopera, *Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You*, Liveright

- Valeria Luiselli, *Beginning Middle End*, Knopf

- Morgan Thomas, *Mad Eden*, MCD

Nonfiction:

- Colin Asher, *The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music*, W.W. Norton

- Abdelrahman ElGendy, *Huna: A Memoir of Revolution, Prison, and Becoming*, Hogarth

- Camonghne Felix, *Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom*, One World

- Sara Nović, *Mother Tongue*, Random House

- Joseph Osmundson, *Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood*, Bloomsbury Publishing

Poetry:

- Victoria Chang, *Tree of Knowledge*, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

- Carolina Ebeid, *Hide*, Graywolf Press

- Brenda Hillman, *Still House in the Desert: An eco-contemplation*, Wesleyan University Press

- Fady Joudah, *Exhibit G: Poems, Essays, and Photographs of Gaza*, Milkweed Editions

- Susan Stewart, *Bramble*, University of Chicago Press

Translated Literature:

- Karl Ove Knausgaard, *The School of Night*, translated from Norwegian by Martin Aitken, Penguin Press

- Vicente Luis Mora, *Centroeuropam*, translated from Spanish by Rahul Bery, Bellevue Literary Press

- Intan Paramaditha, *Night of a Thousand Hells*, translated from Indonesian by Stephen J. Epstein and Tiffany Tsao, Europa Editions

- Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, *Pure Men*, translated from French by Lara Vergnaud, Other Press

- Samar Yazbek, *Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life: Voices of Survival and Witness in Gaza*, translated from Arabic by Leri Price, Other Press

Young People’s Literature:

- Elana K. Arnold, *Holloway*, Clarion Books

- Tae Keller, *When Tomorrow Burns*, Random House Books for Young Readers

- Keala Kendall, *That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic*, Random House Books for Young Readers

- David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels, *The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America*, Knopf Books for Young Readers

- Julian Randall, *Shook*, Henry Holt and Company (BYR)

Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, highlighted the year-round commitment to celebrating literature and the vibrant discussions it fosters.

Winners of the National Book Awards will receive $10,000, a bronze medal, and a statue, while finalists will receive $1,000 and a bronze medal. In the Translated Literature category, the prize will be split evenly between the author and translator.

The ceremony will also present two lifetime achievement awards. Salman Rushdie will receive the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, presented by Kiran Desai, and Perri Klass will be honored with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, presented by Jason Reynolds.

The winners will be announced live at the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on November 18, 2026, hosted by Kyle MacLachlan, with musical performance by Michelle Zauner. The event will be livestreamed on the Foundation’s website and YouTube.