Overview

• Kirkus Reviews announced the winners on Oct. 8 during a ceremony in New York City.
• The honored works span a novel about identity and a missing youth, a reported history of Iran’s revolution, and a playful picture book celebrating community.
• Each category winner receives $50,000 and a custom trophy designed by Vezzini & Chen.
• Eligible titles had Kirkus Stars and publication dates between Nov. 1, 2024 and Oct. 31, 2025, with juries considering 383 fiction, 290 nonfiction and 497 young readers’ books.
• Editor-in-Chief Tom Beer praised the selections for conveying messages about community, self-transformation and the mutability of historical events.