Center for Fiction Reveals 2026 First Novel Prize Shortlist

The Center for Fiction has announced the shortlist for its 2026 First Novel Prize, naming seven debut novelists: Emeline Atwood, Samantha Josephs, T Kira Madden, Giada Scodellaro, Avigayl Sharp, Ankur Thakkar and Nafissa Thompson-Spires.

This year's judges are R. O. Kwon, Kiese Laymon, Jordy Rosenberg and Danzy Senna. Each shortlisted author receives $1,000. The winner, to be announced in December, will receive $15,000, which the Center describes as recognition "in recognition of their contribution to contemporary literature and in support of their ongoing creative career."

The shortlist spans a range of independent and major publishers. Emeline Atwood's A Real Animal appears from Catapult. Samantha Josephs's Carrying is published by G. P. Putnam's Sons. T Kira Madden's Whidbey comes from Mariner Books. New Directions Publishing holds Giada Scodellaro's Ruins, Child. Avigayl Sharp's Offseason is published by Astra House. TriQuarterly Books publishes Ankur Thakkar's Blow Yourself Up. Scribner rounds out the list with Nafissa Thompson-Spires's The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford.

The judging panel brings substantial literary credentials to the prize. R. O. Kwon, Kiese Laymon, Jordy Rosenberg and Danzy Senna evaluated the year's debut fiction to arrive at the seven-book list.

The First Novel Prize has become a significant early-career marker in American publishing, and the December announcement will determine which of the seven novelists receives the $15,000 award. Until then, the shortlist itself offers readers a concentrated view of the debut fiction the judges considered the year's most notable.