2026 PEN/Faulkner Finalists Revealed
The shortlist for the 2026 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction has been announced, bringing renewed attention to the year's most outstanding literary works. The list includes both established authors and new voices, reflecting diversity and innovation in contemporary fiction. This prestigious award recognizes the best American fiction of the year.
The 2026 finalists were selected by a panel of three American authors: Samantha Hunt, Tania James, and De'Shawn Charles Winslow. They reviewed 387 eligible novels and short story collections published in 2025 from 155 publishing houses to arrive at the shortlist. This year's nominated books are "Dominion" by Addie E. Citchens, "The White Hot" by Quiara Alegría Hudes, "The Sisters" by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, "Heart the Lover" by Lily King, and "Small Scale Sinners" by Mahreen Sohail. The PEN/Faulkner Award was established in 1980 by writer Mary Lee Settle. It was created as a peer-juried award, free from commercial influence, in response to what Settle and others saw as the growing commercialization of other literary prizes. The award is named for the writers' organization International PEN and for author William Faulkner, who used his own Nobel Prize funds to support younger writers. It is considered the largest peer-judged literary award in the United States. The winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award will be announced in early April. The winning author receives a prize of $15,000, while the other four finalists each receive $5,000. The 46th annual PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration will be held on May 6, 2026, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The event will also honor Willee Lewis as the 2026 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion for her devoted literary advocacy.
