Here’s the longlist for the 2026 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

The National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2026 National Book Award for Nonfiction on September 16, 2026. This award recognizes outstanding works of nonfiction published in the United States. The longlist consists of ten titles selected from 727 books submitted by publishers for consideration. The judges for this year’s Nonfiction category include Eve L. Ewing, Audrey I-Wei Huang, Jonathan C. Slaght, Robert Warrior (Chair), and Lidia Yuknavitch. The finalists will be announced on October 6, 2026, and the winners will be revealed at the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony on November 18, 2026. The National Book Awards are among the most prestigious literary prizes in the U.S., celebrating excellence in writing across multiple genres.

The selection process for the longlist involves publishers submitting books for consideration, with 727 titles submitted for the 2026 Nonfiction award. A panel of judges, composed of five experts in the field, reviews these submissions to identify the ten most notable works. The judges evaluate each book based on criteria such as originality, research, writing quality, and contribution to the field of nonfiction. The longlist serves as a preliminary round, narrowing down the field before the finalists are chosen. This process ensures that the award highlights a diverse range of voices and topics within nonfiction literature.

The judging panel for the 2026 National Book Award for Nonfiction includes Eve L. Ewing, Audrey I-Wei Huang, Jonathan C. Slaght, Robert Warrior (Chair), and Lidia Yuknavitch. Each judge brings expertise in different areas of nonfiction, such as history, memoir, social issues, and creative nonfiction. Robert Warrior serves as the Chair, overseeing the selection process and ensuring fairness. The panel’s diverse backgrounds contribute to a balanced and comprehensive evaluation of the submitted works. Their role is to identify the most compelling and impactful books among the 727 submissions.

The 2026 Nonfiction longlist features ten diverse titles, each exploring unique themes and historical contexts. Seasons of Fury: Four Families and the Rise of Islamophobia in America by Rozina Ali examines the impact of Islamophobia on American families. The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music by Colin Asher delves into the history of music in U.S. prisons. Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground by Zayd Ayers Dohrn tells the story of a family involved in revolutionary activities. Huna: A Memoir of Revolution, Prison, and Becoming by Abdelrahman ElGendy is a personal account of revolution and imprisonment. Other titles include Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom by Camonghne Felix, The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home by Wil Haygood, Mother Tongue by Sara Nović, Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood by Joseph Osmundson, The Evolution of Fire: Essays on Crisis and Becoming by Angela Pelster, and A Dead White: An Argument Against White Paint by Wendy S. Walters.

The longlisted books are published by a variety of well-known publishers, reflecting the diversity of the submissions. Crown / Penguin Random House, W. W. Norton & Company, Hogarth / Penguin Random House, One World / Penguin Random House, Knopf / Penguin Random House, Random House / Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury Publishing, Milkweed Editions, and Scribner / Simon & Schuster are among the publishers represented. These publishers play a crucial role in bringing nonfiction works to the public, supporting authors in sharing their research and stories. The inclusion of books from multiple publishers highlights the broad range of voices and perspectives in the 2026 longlist.