Kirkus announced the jurors for its 2026 Kirkus Prize, given annually in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. The prizes, which come with cash awards of $50,000 in each category, are some of the richest in the literary world.
Serving as fiction jurors will be Kimberly Brock, the adult book buyer at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati who serves on the board of the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, and Karen R. Long, a Kirkus reviewer and former book editor of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland.
Judging the nonfiction prize will be Nora Krug, a writer, editor, and former New York Times and Washington Post journalist, and Bonnie Tsui, the author of books including Why We Swim and On Muscle.
The young readers’ literature jurors are Sarah Park Dahlen, an associate professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Leah Johnson, author of young adult books including You Should See Me in a Crown and Rise to the Sun and children’s books such as Ellie Engle Saves Herself and Bree Boyd Is a Legend.
All books that receive a Kirkus star during the 12-month eligibility period are considered for the prize, which was established in 2014. Last year’s winners were The Slip by Lucas Schaefer, King of Kings by Scott Anderson, and Everybelly by Thao Lam. The finalists for the 2026 prizes will be announced on Aug. 26, with the winners revealed at a ceremony in New York City on Oct. 7.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
