The Center for Fiction has announced the 19 debut novels longlisted for its 2026 First Novel Prize, selecting the contenders from 180 eligible titles published in the US this year, per bookriot.com.
A panel of more than 500 writers, librarians, booksellers and industry experts narrowed down the entries. The longlisted works encompass a broad range of genres, including T Kira Madden’s literary mystery Whidbey, family sagas such as Jiyoung Han’s Honey in the Wound and Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs, and Giada Scodellaro’s community-focused novel Ruins, Child.
The selection also features debut titles from established authors and emerging writers, including Nafissa Thompson-Spires (The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford), Sarah Anderson (Fallow), Woody Brown (Upward Bound), and Stacey Yu (Kitten). Additional works on the list include Emeline Atwood’s A Real Animal, Joe Bond’s Hope House, Jessica M. Goldstein’s Retro, Devon Halliday’s To Stay, To Stay, To Stay, Samantha Josephs’ Carrying, Jan Saenz’s 200 Monas, Yah Yah Scholfield’s On Sundays She Picked Flowers, Avigayl Sharp’s Offseason, Stephanie Soileau’s Should the Waters Take Us, Ankur Thakkar’s Blow Yourself Up, and P. C. Verrone’s Rabbit, Fox, Tar.
A shortlist will be announced in the autumn. The shortlisted authors will present readings from their works at the First Novel Fête on December 4, ahead of the winner’s ceremony on December 8. The eventual winner will receive $15,000, while each shortlisted writer will be awarded $1,000.
Established in 2006, the annual award recognises outstanding debut fiction published in the US. Previous winners of the accolade include Viet Thanh Nguyen, Tommy Orange, Raven Leilani, Marisha Pessl, and De’Shawn Charles Winslow.