See the Winners of the 2024 Kirkus Prize (Exclusive)

The 2024 Kirkus Prize winners are here!

The winners of the 2024 Kirkus Prize were announced on Oct. 16 at the 11th Annual Kirkus Prize awards at the Tribeca Rooftop in New York City. The prestigious literary award is presented by Kirkus Reviews, the leading pre-publication journal of book reviews in the U.S, and awarded to one author of fiction, nonfiction and young people’s literature.

“Our fiction finalists reimagine the art of storytelling while addressing the vital concerns of our day. The nonfiction finalists cast new light on misunderstood historical events and offer affecting personal narratives. Our young readers’ finalists present powerful narratives for children and teens through a combination of prose, verse and art,” Kirkus editor-in-chief Tom Beer previously said in a statement.

Per a press release shared with PEOPLE, this year’s winners were chosen from thousands of titles given starred reviews by the publication, and which had been published between Nov. 1, 2023 and Oct. 31, 2024. Each winner will receive a trophy created by design team Vezzini & Chen and a cash prize of $50,000.

James by Percival Everett was awarded the Kirkus Prize for Fiction, and was chosen by a jury including Loyalty Bookstore co-owner and director of programs Christine Bollow, Kirkus fiction editor Laurie Muchnick and Kirkus reviewer Jeffrey Burke.

Finalists for the award included Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet, The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich, Playground by Richard Powers, Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe and Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham won the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. The book was selected by a jury including Beer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mary Ann Gwinn and journalist, author and illustrator Hannah Bae.

Amongst the nonfiction prize finalists were The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq by Steve Coll, Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls, The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Olivia Laing, Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra and Another Word for Love by Carvell Wallace.

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The young adult novel Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow won the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature. The book was chosen by a jury consisting of Kirkus young readers’ editors Mahnaz Dar and Laura Simeon, Christopher A. Biss-Brown, curator of the Children’s Literature Research Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia and Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor in Children and Youth Services in the Information School at the University of Washington Michelle H. Martin.

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Finalists for the award included We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey, Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan, Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston and Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo.

“This year’s prize-winning books — each written with elegance and lucidity — illuminate tragedies both personal and historical, helping us to better understand our world and the spirit of human resilience,” Beer said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.