Overview

• Kirkus Reviews announced the winners at an Oct. 8 ceremony in New York City, with each category recipient receiving $50,000 plus a custom trophy designed by Vezzini & Chen.
• Fiction: Lucas Schaefer’s The Slip won for a debut novel centered on identity and a long-ago disappearance.
• Nonfiction: Scott Anderson’s King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution was honored for its sweeping history of the Shah’s overthrow and its aftermath.
• Young readers’ literature: Thao Lam’s Everybelly was cited for an inclusive, child’s‑eye celebration of community.
• Eligibility required a Kirkus star and publication between Nov. 1, 2024 and Oct. 31, 2025, with juries considering 383 fiction, 290 nonfiction and 497 young readers’ titles.