Awards season is upon us, and all week long, the National Book Award judges will be releasing their 2026 longlists across five categories. These are among the most prestigious honors bestowed upon books in a given year.

The National Book Awards began in 1936 by the American Booksellers Association, took a break during World War II, and then resumed under the leadership of several collaborating book industry organizations in 1950. A few decades later, the National Book Foundation took over, with the goal of ensuring these books are not only honored but that their impact is felt across the country in a real, meaningful way.

The National Book Awards honor books written by U.S. authors for books published in the United States. The five categories include Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. Starting in 2013, the Foundation elected to present a longlist in each category, composed of 10 titles and released in September. Those longlists are whittled down to a finalist shortlist and shared in October–this year, on October 6–as a run-up to the awards. The National Book Awards Ceremony and Dinner, where winners will be announced in each category, will be on November 18. Finalists each take home $1,000, while the winner in each category receives $10,000 and a bronze sculpture.