Month: March 2026

Submissions Open for the 2026 National Book Awards

Twenty-five judges in five categories will review submitted titles and select the five Winners of the 77th National Book Awards

New York, NY (March 25, 2026) – The National Book Foundation today announced the opening of submissions for the 77th National Book Awards. The Foundation also announced its 25 judges for this year’s Awards, in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature.

“Our 25 extraordinary judges are about to embark upon a once-in-a-lifetime reading experience,” said Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. “Over the next few months, they will read widely and deeply in order to select ten Longlisted titles in their respective categories—books that will educate, entertain, and inspire readers for years to come. We are immensely grateful for their essential work, which enlivens the Foundation’s mission to celebrate the best literature published in the United States, connect books with readers of all ages, and champion the literary arts as a vital part of our culture.”

This year’s judges include writers, academics, booksellers, critics, editors, scientists, literary arts administrators, and translators from across the country and around the globe. Among the panelists are National Book Award Winners, Finalists, and Longlisters, and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree. The panelists have been honored by the International Dublin Literary Award; the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award; the Griffin Prize; the Kingsley Tufts Award; the Kirkus Prize, the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature; the Minnesota Book Award; the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the Oregon Book Award; the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award; the PEN/Faulkner Award; the Stonewall Book Award; and have received fellowships from the Academy of American Poets, the Aspen Institute, the Fulbright Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the MacDowell Foundation, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, among others.

The judges for the 2026 National Book Awards will select 50 Longlist titles, ten per category, to be announced mid-September, and 25 Finalists to be announced on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Winners in all five categories will be announced in-person at the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, November 18, 2026. The Ceremony will be livestreamed for readers everywhere.

The complete list of deadlines and guidelines for the National Book Awards can be found on our website.


Fiction panel: Matt Bell, Caro De Robertis (Chair), Danielle King, Akhil Sharma, Diane Wilson

Nonfiction panel: Eve L. Ewing, Audrey I-Wei Huang, Jonathan C. Slaght, Robert Warrior (Chair), Lidia Yuknavitch

Poetry panel: Rob Arnold, Aracelis Girmay (Chair), Jon Pineda, Roger Reeves, Rosanna Warren

Translated Literature panel: Shelley Fairweather-Vega, Javier García del Moral, John Keene, Christopher Merrill (Chair), Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

Young People’s Literature panel: Edith Campbell, Brandy Colbert (Chair), Tricia Ebarvia, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Anne Ursu

Inside Literary Prize Reveals 2026 Shortlist and Announces Six-State Prison Tour with Incarcerated Judges

Hundreds of incarcerated judges will select winner of the nation’s first major book prize decided exclusively by people in prison

New York, NY (March 18, 2026) – The Inside Literary Prize announced today five National Book Award–honored books that hundreds of incarcerated readers will evaluate as judges for the nation’s first major literary prize decided exclusively by people in prison.

Beginning in late April, Freedom Reads will engage hundreds of incarcerated judges in 12 prisons across six states—Illinois, Minnesota, Washington, Maine, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Judges will participate in live literary readings, book discussions, and voting sessions—bringing their perspectives to a prize designed to center their voices. The tour will feature acclaimed writers, including Reginald Dwayne Betts, Founder and CEO of Freedom Reads; 2025 Inside Literary Prize winner Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah; past shortlisted author Jamil Jan Kochai; and more to be announced.

Now in its third year, the Inside Literary Prize—a collaboration between Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation, the Center for Justice Innovation, and Interabang Books co-owner and literary podcaster Lori Feathers—has awarded two prizes and engaged nearly 500 incarcerated judges across both women’s and men’s facilities in 12 states. Previous winners include Imani Perry for South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation and Adjei-Brenyah for Chain-Gang All-Stars (see coverage by Literary Hub). This year’s winner will be announced in the summer.

Shortlisted Books and Selection Process

Kaveh Akbar, Martyr!
Knopf / Penguin Random House

Bothayna Al-Essa, The Book Censor’s Library
Translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain
Restless Books

Linnea Axelsson, Ædnan
Translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel
Knopf / Penguin Random House

Miranda July, All Fours
Riverhead Books / Penguin Random House

Hisham Matar, My Friends
Random House / Penguin Random House

The shortlist was curated by a selection committee of incarcerated readers, writers, and Department of Corrections librarians from the 2024 National Book Awards Finalists in Fiction and Translated Literature.

About the Prize

Launched in December 2023 by Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation, and the Center for Justice Innovation—with support from literary podcaster and Interabang Books co-owner Lori Feathers—the Inside Literary Prize expands access to contemporary literature for incarcerated communities while amplifying their voices in national literary conversations.

“This third year of the Inside Literary Prize makes me realize just how remarkably dope and unprecedented what we’re doing is,” said Reginald Dwayne Betts, Freedom Reads Founder & CEO and award-winning poet. “Each year, hundreds of incarcerated readers and writers are thinking about some of the best books being published in this country.”

“We’re thrilled to celebrate the third year of the Inside Literary Prize and these five exceptional shortlisted titles alongside our intrepid judges,” said Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. “I’m grateful to our like-minded partners for convening vital conversations and building community around books for readers, on the Inside and out.”

“It’s a privilege and honor to discuss these books with the perceptive readers throughout the country who volunteer to judge the Inside Literary Prize,” said Lori Feathers. “These readers embody the spirit of the Prize: curiosity, shared engagement, and a deep appreciation for the art of storytelling.”

“We co-created and co-sponsor the Inside Literary Prize for a simple but important reason: to build empathy and connection beyond the prison walls,” said Courtney Bryan, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Justice Innovation. “For the third year in a row, the Inside Literary Prize brings all of us into conversation, linking us through the power of art and literature. By enabling hundreds of incarcerated judges to discuss and evaluate these five beautiful books, the Prize reminds us that we’re all members of the human family and every voice deserves to be heard and respected.”

The Inside Literary Prize winner will be announced in August 2026.