The Slip by Lucas Schaefer was awarded the Kirkus Prize for Fiction, King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson was awarded the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction and Everybelly by Thao Lam won the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature.
On Wednesday, Oct. 8, Kirkus Reviews, the leading pre-publication journal of book reviews in the United States, revealed the literary works that took home the ultimate prize during a ceremony in New York City. The annual awards recognize the best releases in fiction, nonfiction and young adults' literature, with each winner receiving a $50,000 prize.
"This year's Kirkus Prize winners bring us vital messages for our time -- messages about the joys of community, the power of self-transformation and the mutability of historical events -- all conveyed through exhilarating prose and pictures," Kirkus Reviews editor-in-chief Tom Beer said in a press release shared with PEOPLE.
To be eligible, a book had to receive a Kirkus-starred review and been released between Nov. 1, 2024 and Oct. 31, 2025. This year, juries chose between 383 works in the fiction category, 290 nonfiction titles and 497 in the young readers' literature section.
On top of the $50,000 prize, winners receive a unique trophy designed by Vezzini & Chen.
The Slip by Lucas Schaefer was awarded the Kirkus Prize for Fiction. The debut novel from Schaefer is set in 1998 and centers on the disappearance of Nathaniel Rothstein. Per a Kirkus Reviews press release, it "explores issues of race, class, sex and gender through a wildly inventive group of characters and events."
Finalists for the fiction award included The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy, Isola by Allegra Goodman, A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar and Flesh by David Szalay.
King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson was awarded the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. Per a press release, the journalistic work examines "circumstances that led to the overthrow of a dictator -- and his replacement with another despot."
Finalists for the nonfiction award included Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs, A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst, America América: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin, Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry and Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy.
Everybelly by Thao Lam won the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature. The book is described as a "frank and unintentionally hilarious narration of a visit to a swimming pool" that "offers a radically inclusive child's-eye vision of community and belonging."
Finalists for the young readers' award were divided into three categories, including Picture Books with Island Storm by Brian Floca, illustrated by Sydney Smith nominated, Middle Grade with The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes and John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan, illustrated by Marja-Liisa Plats, translated by Adam Cullen nominated and Young Adult with Butterfly Heart by Moa Backe Åstot, translated by Agnes Broomé and Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal and the Lost Dream of Joneston by Candace Fleming recognized.
One of the most coveted designations in the book industry, the Kirkus Star marks books of exceptional merit and is seen as a testament to a book's potential.