The National Book Critics Circle Awards

 

Each year, the National Book Critics Circle presents awards for the finest books published in English in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism.

 

In addition, we award two prizes voted on by membership: the John Leonard Prize for the best first book in any genre and the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize, for the best book of any genre translated into English and published in the United States. We also award the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, which recognizes outstanding work by a member of the NBCC, and the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award and Toni Morrison Achievement Award, which are given respectively to individuals and literary institutions for transformative contributions to book culture.

 

 

2025 NBCC Award Winners

 

 

#Fiction

Han Kang, translated from the Korean by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris

We Do Not Part

Hogarth

 

#Nonfiction

Karen Hao

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI

Penguin Press

 

#Biography

Alex Green

A Perfect Turmoil: Walter E. Fernald and the Struggle to Care for America's Disabled

Bellevue Literary Press

 

#Autobiography

Arundhati Roy

Mother Mary Comes to Me

Scribner

 

#Poetry

Kevin Young

Night Watch

Knopf

 

#Criticism

Quinn Slobodian

Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right

Zone Books

 

#John Leonard Prize

Nicholas Boggs

Baldwin: A Love Story

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

 

#Gregg Barrios Book in Translation

Neige Sinno, translated from the French by Natasha Lehrer

Sad Tiger

Seven Stories

 

#Frances FitzGerald

Toni Morrison Achievement Award

NPR and PBS

 

#NBCC Service Award

Elizabeth Taylor

 

https://www.bookcritics.org/awards