Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
2025 Winner
2025 Shortlist & Longlist
Shortlist
Shortlist
Cinema Love
Complete History
2020s
About the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction is an annual American award presented by the American Library Association (ALA) to the best fiction book for adult readers published in the United States during the previous year. Established in 2012 with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the medal is among the most prominent library-affiliated literary prizes in the country and is unique in being selected by library professionals—reflecting the reading and recommendation expertise of public librarians.
The award was created to fill a gap for adult readers comparable to the ALA's long-standing Caldecott and Newbery medals for children's books. Each year, a small jury of ALA members selects a winner in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. The winner receives a gold medal and a cash prize of $5,000. Two or more finalists are also named and receive $1,500 each.
Winners of the fiction medal have included Anne Enright's The Forgotten Waltz (2012), Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See (2015), Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer (2016), Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad (2017), Jennifer Egan's Manhattan Beach (2018), Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers (2019), Valeria Luiselli's Lost Children Archive (2020), James McBride's Deacon King Kong (2021), and Percival Everett's James (2025). The award announced in January draws significant attention to titles recommended by librarians to their patrons.
Frequently Asked Questions
- A jury of American Library Association members—professional librarians—reviews eligible fiction published in the United States and selects the winner and finalists.
- Yes. The winner receives $5,000 and a gold medal, while finalists each receive $1,500.
- All fiction for adult readers published in the United States during the prior year is eligible. This includes novels, short story collections, and translated fiction.
- The winner is typically announced in January at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
- They are distinct awards. The UK Carnegie Medal (CILIP Carnegie Medal) honors children's books; the ALA Carnegie Medal for Excellence honors adult fiction and nonfiction, both funded through Carnegie philanthropy.
- Librarians are key intermediaries between books and readers. Their selections reflect deep knowledge of what resonates with reading communities, giving the award a practical, reader-centered quality not always present in critic- or author-juried prizes.
- Typically two or three finalists are named alongside the winner in the fiction category.