Carrie R. Moore has won the 2026 Young Lions Fiction Award.

Last night, in a ceremony, the New York Public Library announced the winner of its Young Lions Fiction Award, which celebrates fiction by writers 35 and younger. This year’s winner is Carrie R. Moore for Make Your Way Home; she will take home a purse of $10,000.

This year’s judges were Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Raven Leilani, and Alexander Sammartino, who won the award last year. The other finalists, announced earlier this spring, were Ariel Courage for Bad Nature, Kyle Edwards for Small Ceremonies, Harris Lahti for Foreclosure Gothic, and Stephanie Wambugu for Lonely Crowds.