Here are the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 honorees.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced the 2026 recipients of its annual 5 Under 35 award, which honors fiction writers under the age of 35 “whose debut work promises to leave a lasting impression on the literary landscape.” Each of the winners was selected by a writer previously honored by the National Book Foundation, and will receive a $1,250 prize. Here are this year’s honorees:

Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, Every Drop Is a Man’s Nightmare
Bloomsbury Publishing
Selected by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, 2019 National Book Award Finalist

Anika Jade Levy, Flat Earth
Catapult
Selected by Sigrid Nunez, 2018 National Book Award Winner

Carrie R. Moore, Make Your Way Home
Tin House Books
Selected by Danielle Evans, 2011 5 Under 35 Honoree

Maggie Su, Blob: A Love Story
Harper / HarperCollins Publishers
Selected by Charles Yu, 2020 National Book Award Winner and 2007 5 Under 35 Honoree

Stephanie Wambugu, Lonely Crowds
Little, Brown and Company / Hachette Book Group
Selected by Kaveh Akbar, 2024 National Book Award Finalist

The honorees will be celebrated at the 2026 5 Under 35 Ceremony, hosted by 2023 National Book Award Finalist and 2018 5 Under 35 honoree Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, on June 9 at Littlefield in Brooklyn, NY. The event will also be livestreamed.