Thirty-two authors have been longlisted for the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize by New Literary Project. The annual $50,000 award honors a mid-career author of fiction in the midst of a burgeoning career, a distinguished writer who has emerged and is still emerging.

The Joyce Carol Oates Prize is awarded to an author of national consequence who has published at least two notable books of fiction, and who has yet to receive capstone recognition such as a Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, or MacArthur Fellowship/Genius Grant. There are no age, geographic, or stylistic restrictions. 

The winner will be in residence for seven to ten days in Fall 2025 at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Bay Area, where they may give public readings and talks, teach classes, and make appearances.

Longlisted authors were selected from official submissions by publishers, agents, authors, and author representatives. The New Literary Project is a not-for-profit that collaborates with the English Department at University of California, Berkeley. Finalists are expected to be named in March 2025, with the announcement of the winner due in April 2025.

2025 JCO Prize Longlisted Authors & Most Recent Book of Fiction

Rumaan Alam, Entitlement, Riverhead

Jami Attenberg, A Reason to See You Again, Ecco

Marie-Helene Bertino, Beautyland, FSG

Venita Blackburn, Dead in Long Beach, California, MCD

Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot, Viking

Ryan Chapman, The Audacity, Soho

Jennine Capo Crucet, Say Hello to My Little Friend, Simon & Schuster

Leif Enger, I Cheerfully Refuse, Grove Atlantic

Amina Gautier, The Best That You Can Do, Soft Skull

Thomas Grattan, In Tongues, MCD

Abby Geni, The Body Farm, Counterpoint

Cristina Henríquez, The Great Divide, Ecco

Maria Hummel, Goldenseal, Counterpoint

Miranda July, All Fours, Riverhead

Porochista Khakpour, Tehrangeles, Pantheon

Crystal Hana Kim, The Stone Home, William Morrow / HarperCollins

R.O. Kwon, Exhibit, Riverhead

Caroline Leavitt, Days of Wonder, Algonquin

Hilary Leichter, Terrace Story, Ecco

Sarah Manguso, Liars, Hogarth

Chigozie Obioma, The Road to the Country, Hogarth

Tommy Orange, Wandering Stars, Knopf

Kimberly King Parsons, We Were the Universe, Knopf

Julia Phillips, Bear, Hogarth

Andrew Porter, The Disappeared, Knopf

Regina Porter, The Rich People Have Gone Away, Hogarth

Rudy Ruiz, The Border Between Us, Blackstone

Danzy Senna, Colored Television, Riverhead 

Morgan Talty, Fire Exit, Tin House

Laura van den Berg, State of Paradise, FSG

Willy Vlautin, The Horse, Harper

Jurors for the 2025 JCO Prize are Laura Cogan, Mark Danner, Joseph Di Prisco, and Hertha Dawn Sweet Wong. The jury will provide a shortlist of finalists to the New Literary Project Board of Directors, which will determines the Prize Recipient. Joyce Carol Oates serves as an Honorary Director. 

Previous Winners of the JCO Prize
Ben Fountain (2024)
Manuel Muñoz (2023)
Lauren Groff (2022)
Danielle Evans (2021)
Daniel Mason (2020)
Laila Lalami (2019)
Anthony Marra (2018)
T. Geronimo Johnson (2017)