Industry & Advocacy News

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2025 National Book Awards

Literary Culture

November 21, 2025

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On November 19, 2025, the National Book Foundation announced this year’s winners across five categories at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony, celebrating exceptional works in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. Our most sincere congratulations to all of the winners and finalists.

The ceremony, held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City and livestreamed for audiences nationwide, was hosted by Jeff Hiller with a musical performance by Corinne Bailey Rae. Josh Gondelman moderated the YouTube Live chat, engaging with viewers throughout the evening. We were inspired by the speeches celebrating the wonders and importance of books and reading.

2025 Winners

Fiction: Rabih Alameddine for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) (Grove Press / Grove Atlantic)

Nonfiction: Omar El Akkad for One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This (Knopf / Penguin Random House)

Poetry: Patricia Smith for The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems (Scribner / Simon & Schuster)

Translated Literature: Gabriela Cabezón Cámara for We Are Green and Trembling, translated from Spanish by Robin Myers (New Directions Publishing)

Young People’s Literature: Daniel Nayeri for The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story (Levine Querido)

Lifetime Achievement Honors

George Saunders received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, presented by Deborah Treisman. Authors Guild Council member Roxane Gay was honored with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, presented by Jacqueline Woodson.

Celebrity book enthusiasts Lena Dunham, Tan France, Ira Glass, Dakota Johnson, and Laufey introduced finalist categories throughout the evening.

The National Book Awards are among American literature’s highest honors, recognizing works that shape contemporary literary conversation. Winners receive $10,000, a statue, and a bronze medal, while finalists are awarded $1,000 and a bronze medal.

This year’s competition drew 1,835 submissions from publishers: 434 in Fiction, 652 in Nonfiction, 285 in Poetry, 139 in Translated Literature, and 325 in Young People’s Literature. Independent judging panels evaluated entries confidentially.