National Book Awards Winners 2025 Celebrate Literary Excellence and Social Conscience

The National Book Foundation announced its 2025 winners in a powerful New York ceremony. Authors Rabih Alameddine and Patricia Smith were among the night’s top honorees. The event blended celebration with poignant social and political commentary.

Winners each received a $10,000 prize. The ceremony highlighted literature’s vital role in reflecting and responding to current world events.

Diverse Literary Voices Honored Across Multiple Categories

Rabih Alameddine won the fiction prize for his novel “The True True Story of Raja the Gullible.” The book explores intense family bonds within modern Lebanon’s chaos. Patricia Smith secured the poetry award for her collection “The Intentions of Thunder.”

The nonfiction prize went to Egyptian Canadian journalist Omar El Akkad. His winning work is a fierce critique titled “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.” Other winners included Daniel Nayeri for young people’s literature and Gabriela Cabezón Cámara for translated literature.

Awards Ceremony Serves as Platform for Authorial Protest

The winners’ speeches often turned to global conflicts and social injustice. According to the Associated Press, the event served as a “counter voice to current events.” Omar El Akkad expressed difficulty celebrating a book written in response to genocide.

Gabriela Cabezón Cámara delivered her acceptance speech entirely in Spanish. She explicitly stated this was a response to “fascists who don’t like that.” Alameddine’s speech combined humor with a lament for a bombed Palestinian refugee camp.

Honorary awards were presented to George Saunders and Roxane Gay. Saunders received the medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Gay was honored with the Literarian medal for her work promoting diverse voices in publishing.

The 2025 National Book Awards winners demonstrated that literary excellence and social consciousness remain deeply intertwined. These authors prove that powerful storytelling can both captivate readers and confront difficult truths, securing literature’s essential place in public discourse.

Thought you’d like to know

Who won the National Book Award for fiction in 2025?

Rabih Alameddine won the fiction award for his novel “The True True Story of Raja the Gullible.” The book examines family dynamics within contemporary Lebanese society. His acceptance speech blended humor with political commentary.

What did Omar El Akkad say in his acceptance speech?

Omar El Akkad expressed difficulty celebrating his nonfiction win. He referenced spending two years “seeing what shrapnel does to a child’s body.” His book serves as a fierce indictment of contemporary Western policies.

Which poets have won the National Book Award recently?

Patricia Smith won the 2025 poetry award for “The Intentions of Thunder.” She delivered a highly emotional speech about overcoming racial and social barriers. Smith has received numerous previous awards for her lyrical intensity.

How does the National Book Awards selection process work?

The National Book Foundation presents the awards annually. Judges include writers, booksellers, and literary critics. They select winners from hundreds of submissions from publishers.

Why did Gabriela Cabezón Cámara speak in Spanish?

The translated literature winner chose to speak entirely in Spanish. She explicitly stated this was a response to fascists who oppose multilingualism. Her words were translated on stage by her translator, Robin Myers.