The Center for Fiction disclosed its First Novel Prize shortlist in September, noting that each of the five finalists will be awarded $1,000. The prize, which supports emerging writers, will culminate in a December announcement of the winner, who will receive $15,000 in recognition of their contribution to contemporary literature.
The 2026 judging panel comprises R. O. Kwon, Kiese Laymon, Jordy Rosenberg and Danzy Senna, who evaluated the submissions and selected the finalists.
Literary Hub interviewed the shortlisted authors, including Emeline Atwood, author of A Real Animal. Atwood described her early‑morning writing routine, noting that her chihuahua’s six‑a.m. bathroom trips help her stay awake for sustained work.
Atwood also shared strategies for overcoming writer’s block, such as imagining alternate scenarios, inviting friends to describe familiar places, and rewriting passages using the syntax of memorized texts.
She reflected on the literary influences that shaped her education, citing family reading sessions and early fascination with a nonfiction book about foxes from her elementary school library.