National Book Award for Young People's Literature 2026

The 2026 National Book Award for Young People's Literature longlist was announced on 15 September 2026. Finalists are due 6 October; winners on 18 November.

Shortlist & Longlist

Shortlist

Holloway

Elana K. Arnold

Shortlist

Bookshop Amazon

Shortlist

When Tomorrow Burns

Tae Keller

Shortlist

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Shortlist

That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic

Keala Kendall

Shortlist

Bookshop Amazon

Shortlist

The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America

David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels

Shortlist

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Shortlist

Shook

Julian Randall

Shortlist

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Longlist

The Free Verse Society

Delali Adjoa

Longlist

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Longlist

The Celestial Seas

T. A. Chan

Longlist

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Longlist

The Moon Without Stars

Chanel Miller

Longlist

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Longlist

Clothes to Make You Smile: Patrick Kelly Designs His Dreams

Eric Darnell Pritchard and Shannon Wright

Longlist

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Longlist

Life on the Moon

Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr

Longlist

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Judges

Edith Campbell
Brandy Colbert
Tricia Ebarvia
Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Anne Ursu

Event Details

Announcement Date: October 6, 2026
Ceremony Date: November 18, 2026