Twenty-five Finalists to contend for National Book Awards in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature

The 25 Finalists for the 2025 National Book Awards for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature were announced today with the New York Times. The five Finalists in each category were selected by a distinguished panel of judges, and were advanced from the Longlists announced in September with The New Yorker.

Across the five categories, nine writers have been previously honored by the National Book Foundation: Rabih Alameddine was a Finalist for Fiction in 2014 for An Unnecessary Woman; Megha Majumdar was Longlisted for Fiction in 2020 for A Burning; Karen Russell was a 2009 5 Under 35 honoree; Bryan Washington was a 2019 5 Under 35 honoree; Patricia Smith was a Finalist for Poetry in 2008 for Blood Dazzler; Solvej Balle was Longlisted for Translated Literature in 2024 for On the Calculation of Volume (Book I), translated from the Danish by Barbara J. Haveland; Kyle Lukoff was a Finalist for Young People’s Literature in 2021 for Too Bright to See; Amber McBride was a Finalist for Young People’s Literature in 2021 for Me (Moth); and Ibi Zoboi was a Finalist for Young People’s Literature in 2017 for American Street. All of the Finalists for Nonfiction are first-time National Book Award honorees. Eight independent publishers and one university press are represented.

The 2025 Finalists will read from their work at the National Book Awards Finalist Reading on the evening of Tuesday, November 18 at NYU Skirball, an annual, in-person, ticketed event that is open to the public and livestreamed for readers everywhere. The Finalist Reading will be hosted by Michelle Zauner, bestselling author of Crying in H Mart, and the songwriter, musician, and lead vocalist of Japanese Breakfast. The Finalist Reading is presented in partnership with the National Book Foundation and the NYU Creative Writing Program. Purchase in-person tickets and register for the livestream at NYU Skirball’s website.

On the morning of Tuesday, November 18, the Finalists in Young People’s Literature connect with middle and high school students for Teens Read the 2025 National Book Awards, hosted by Casey McQuiston, bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue and I Kissed Shara Wheeler. The in-person event, which will feature readings, Q&A, and book signings, will be held at Symphony Space in New York City. Teens Read will be livestreamed for students and educators across the country; and the first 25 public school educators to register will receive one set of the five Finalists for Young People’s Literature. For more information and to register for the livestream, please visit our website.

The Winners of the National Book Award for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature will be announced live on Wednesday, November 19 at the invitation-only 76^th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The National Book Foundation will livestream the Ceremony for readers everywhere; register to watch on the Foundation’s website at nationalbook.org/awards. Winners of the National Book Awards receive $10,000, a bronze medal, and statue; Finalists receive $1,000 and a bronze medal; Winners and Finalists in the Translated Literature category will split the prize evenly between author and translator. Two lifetime achievement awards will also be presented as part of the evening’s ceremony: George Saunders, writer and professor, will be recognized with the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, presented by Deborah Treisman, Fiction Editor at The New Yorker; and Roxane Gay, author and cultural critic, will receive the Foundation’s Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, presented by National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson.

Publishers submitted a total of 1,835 books for this year’s National Book Awards: 434 in Fiction, 652 in Nonfiction, 285 in Poetry, 139 in Translated Literature, and 325 in Young People’s Literature. Judges’ decisions are made independently of the National Book Foundation staff and Board of Directors, and deliberations are strictly confidential.

2025 Finalists for Young People’s Literature:

Kyle Lukoff, A World Worth Saving
Dial Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House

Amber McBride, The Leaving Room
Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan Publishers

Daniel Nayeri, The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story
Levine Querido

Hannah V. Sawyerr, Truth Is
Amulet Books / Abrams

Ibi Zoboi, (S)Kin
Versify / HarperCollins Publishers

Kyle Lukoff blends Jewish mythology and adventure in A World Worth Saving to share the story of A, a trans teen who sets off on a journey to save his friend, dismantle a conversion therapy program, and use his voice to stand up against bigotry and transphobia. In Amber McBride’s novel-in-verse The Leaving Room, a Keeper named Gospel provides peaceful final moments for recently deceased young people, but is encouraged to push the boundaries of her Leaving Room when she falls in love with a fellow Keeper. Told through the eyes of orphaned siblings that become educators to nomadic tribes and, along the way, resolve to help a Jewish boy hiding from Nazi spies, Daniel Nayeri’s The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story uncovers a hidden World War II history and highlights the power of cross-cultural understanding. Hannah V. Sawyerr’s novel-in-verse Truth Is follows Truth Bangura, a 17-year-old poet who, after an abortion, finds community and freedom through her slam poetry team, her writing, and her post-graduation dreams. Ibi Zoboi’s novel-in-verse (S)Kin explores self-discovery, immigration, and colorism, through the perspectives of Marisol, the 15-year-old daughter of a soucouyant—or shape-shifting, skin-shedding witch—and Genevieve, the 17-year-old daughter of a college professor suffering from an unbearable skin condition.