2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize

The 2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize, the ninth edition of the award for fiction that engages a pressing social issue, went to Maria Reva for Endling, her debut novel. The book blends war chronicle, metafiction and dark comedy, opening with an effort to save a rare snail species in Ukraine before the full-scale invasion. A jury of Héctor Tobar, Imbolo Mbue, Jamil Jan Kochai, Kate Bowler and Michael Cader narrowed a longlist of fifteen to five finalists, with Rabih Alameddine, Sonora Jha, Charlotte McConaghy and Jess Walter joining Reva on the shortlist. The $35,000 winner was named at a dinner in New York City on April 23, 2026, and Endling was chosen as that summer's community read in Aspen, Colorado.