2026 Southern Book Prize Recipients Announced
(Asheville, NC) The Southern Book Prize is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Prize, honoring great Southern literature as chosen by Southern independent booksellers and readers who love Southern stories.
The Winners:
Fiction: Dolen Perkins-Valdez for Happy Land (Berkley, April 2025)
Nonfiction: Silas House for All These Ghosts (Blair, September 2025)
Young Readers: Christy Mandin for Millie Fleur Saves the Night (Orchard Books, July 2025)
Each recipient receives a donation in their name to the charity or nonprofit of their choice.
The Southern Book Prize, representing Southern bookseller favorites from the past year, is awarded to “the best Southern book of the year” as nominated by Southern indie booksellers and voted on by their customers. Winners were chosen by popular vote from a ballot of finalists in fiction, nonfiction, and literature for young readers, making every Southern Book Prize winner a true Southern reader favorite. Readers who submit a ballot can choose to be entered into a raffle to win a collection of the SBP finalist and winning titles.
More About the 2026 Winners:
2026 Southern Book Prize Fiction Winner:
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Berkley, April 2025
"Happy Land’s dual narratives celebrate a little known egalitarian community of formerly enslaved men and women in the North Carolina mountains. In both the historical and contemporary points of view, Perkins-Valdez explores the intergenerational bonds and tensions that honoring one’s ancestry cultivates. A triumphant tale!" -- Adah, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
On being told she had won, Dolen Perkins-Valdez said, “I have never received an award that specifically recognized my personal and very emotional ties to the South, as well as my commitment to stories that feature our rich and complicated history. This award is meaningful to me in ways I cannot adequately express. I can only say I am deeply grateful to the booksellers who nominated and supported Happy Land. I also thank the many people who voted. You are my community and you always have been.”
Perkins-Valdez's prize will go to the Land Loss Prevention Project in North Carolina.
2026 Southern Book Prize Nonfiction Winner:
All These Ghosts by Silas House
Blair, September 2025
“The punch and resonance of House's work is just as strong in this collection as it is in his prose. Absolutely lovely. ”
-- Oliva, Reclaimed Bookstore DBA Shelf Life Books, Richmond, Virginia
Silas House, a past Southern Book Prize recipient for his novel Lark Rising, said, "I am especially grateful for this award since it is picked by indie booksellers and readers, and cannot begin to express how honored I am. My sincere thanks to everyone involved, especially SIBA. This book was a word-of-mouth success because of booksellers who hand-sold it and readers who told others about it, and this award continues that generosity of spirit." He asked that his prize go to the Faulkner Morgan Archives, the biggest LGBTQ archive in the South.
2026 Southern Book Prize Young Readers Winner:
Millie Fleur Saves the Night by Christy Mandin
Orchard Books, July 2026
“This stunningly illustrated picture book is fun to read aloud, and shows what happens when you approach something you always thought was scary with curiosity.”
-- Mandy, Angel Wings Bookstore, Stem, North Carolina
"As someone born, raised, and still living in the Deep South," said Christy Mandin when she was told she had won, "being recognized with the Southern Book Prize means a great deal to me. Growing up as an only child in the country, books played a big part in expanding my world, and I'm grateful to the booksellers who embraced this book and helped bring it to readers." She requested her prize be donated to the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation.
About the Southern Book Prize
An indie bookseller-curated, reader-chosen award, The Southern Book Prize showcases books that have been favorite “handsell” titles of Southern booksellers and establishes indie booksellers as a knowledgeable, trustworthy source for avid readers looking for their next great read.
The Southern Book Prize, formerly known as the SIBA Book Award, has been awarded annually since 1999. SIBA launched the public ballot in 2019 to encourage stores to engage their customers in the important question of what books deserve to be called “the best Southern book of the year.” For more information, visit the home of the Southern Book Prize at The Southern Bookseller Review.