2026 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists

PEN America is honored to announce the Longlists for the 2026 Literary Awards. Our awards are juried by panels of esteemed, award-winning authors, editors, translators, and critics. These authors are committed to recognizing their contemporaries, from promising debut writers to those who have already had a continuous and lasting impact on the literary landscape.

The 2026 Literary Awards will confer nearly $350,000 to writers and translators. Spanning fiction, poetry, essay, translation, and more, these Longlisted books are dynamic, diverse, and thought-provoking examples of literary excellence.Finalists for the following awards will be announced before the ceremony. We hope you can join us at the 2026 Literary Awards Ceremony in March 2026!