The winners of the first annual Kirkus Indie Awards have been revealed, with eight books honored with the prizes that “celebrate the excellence, breadth, and depth of independently published books.”
Richard K. Lowy won the history and biography prize for Kalman & Leopold: Surviving Mengele’s Auschwitz, which a Kirkus critic praised as “a well-designed, poignant story of the Holocaust told by two survivors.” Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez won in the memoir category for Conversion Therapy Dropout: A Queer Story of Faith and Belonging; a Kirkus reviewer called the book “a compelling journey of faith, healing, and finding purpose.”
The literary fiction prize went to Philip Dean Walker for Better Davis and Other Stories, which a Kirkus reviewer praised for its “rich, elegiac meditations on art, sex, and death,” while Jeff Gunhus won the mystery and thriller award for Blood Lasts Forever, which a Kirkus critic called “a brisk, gruesome tale of revenge and its consequences.”
C.W. Johnson won in the science fiction and fantasy category for A Life Full of Quarks; a Kirkus reviewer called the book “heartbreaking and hilarious.” E.W. Andersen was awarded the romance prize for The Midnight Book Club, which a Kirkus critic praised as “a delightful love letter to great literature.”
Gentle Hugs, written by Lily Guzmán and illustrated by Dorota Rewerenda, won the picture book award; a Kirkus reviewer called it “an empathetic book about how chronic conditions may limit a parent’s activity, but never their love.” Let’s Go, Darby!, written by Linda Rosenbaum and illustrated by Barbara Klunder, which a Kirkus critic called “a charming, sensitive story about the trials of health care and the importance of social welfare,” was the winner in the children’s literature category.
Kirkus Indie President Chaya Schechner said in a statement, “The eight inaugural Indie Awards winners—ranging from tragic to comic, madcap to cerebral, lighthearted to devastating (sometimes within the same book)—give readers and the industry a prime TBR list, full of books our judges called ‘uncompromising,’ ‘punctuated by a deep love of literature,’ and ‘deliciously quirky and, oh, so full of heart.’”
Kirkus launched the Indie Awards in April. The winners will receive a $500 author services credit, which can be applied toward select Kirkus services; a $7,500 advertising credit, providing promotional exposure across Kirkus channels; an invitation to the 2026 Kirkus Prize ceremony; and an agent consultation.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
