The National Book Awards were established in 1950 to celebrate the best writing in America. Since 1989, they have been overseen by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture. Although other categories have been recognized in the past, the Awards currently honor the best Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature published each year. For more information on the National Book Awards, check out their website.

The longlist for the 2025 National Book Awards was announced on September 10-12. The Finalists in all five categories were announced on Tuesday, October 7 with the New York Times. Winners will be announced live at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

For more information, check out the National Book Award’s website.

The nominees for this year’s National Book Awards in the TBP Collection (finalists are bolded):

Fiction

FLASHLIGHT by Susan Choi (DB 129795)

ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell (DB 128240, BR 26309 IN PROCESS)

Nonfiction

ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad (DB 127850, LB 0001346)

BLACK MOSES: A SAGA OF AMBITION AND THE FIGHT FOR A BLACK STATE by Caleb Gayle (DB 132241 IN PROCESS)

THINGS IN NATURE MERELY GROW by Yiyun Li (DB 130140)