The 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel longlist has been announced. The award honors a debut novel with exceptional literary merit by an American author who has not previously published a full-length work of fiction. Aimed at championing new voices and supporting the longevity of writers’ literary careers, the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel is one of the most prestigious literary awards for authors.
Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su
View this post on InstagramBlob: A Love Story by Maggie Su is one of eight titles longlisted for this year’s PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. Published on January 28, 2025, this surreal, coming-of-age debut novel blends humor, introspection, and speculative elements. It tells the story of a woman in her twenties who discovers a mysterious sentient blob outside a bar and impulsively takes it home, attempting to mold it into her ideal partner. What starts as a wild romantic experiment evolves into a stunning meditation on love and what it means to be human.
The book has received recognition from Publishers Weekly and was featured at the 2025 National Book Festival and as an Indie Next List pick. Called "a wondrous novel" by Kevin Wilson, bestselling author of Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Su's offbeat debut is earning widespread critical acclaim.
Maggie Su holds a Ph.D. in Fiction from the University of Cincinnati and an MFA from Indiana University. Her short works have appeared in the New England Review, Four Way Review, and DIAGRAM, among others.
Related: Katie Couric Names the First Book She's Reading in 2026: 'I Don't Want This Book To End'
2026 PEN/Hemingway Award Longlist
View this post on InstagramThe 2026 longlist includes a diverse slate of debut novels published in the U.S. The 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel longlist includes Trip by Amie Barrodale, We Pretty Pieces of Flesh by Colwill Brown, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, The Devil Three Times by Rickey Fayne, Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan, North Sun by Ethan Rutherford, Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su, and Maggie; Or a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar by Katie Yee.
One of the most prestigious awards in the book world, the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel honors the debut of an American author of extraordinary literary merit. Winners receive a $10,000 cash prize plus a residency through the Ucross Foundation to support their next work. The award is presented at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
2026 Longlist Judges
The 2026 longlist judges include Rachel Beanland, Dionne Irving, and Taymour Soomro, each an established author recognized for their own literary achievements.
On a post shared to social media, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation shared, “We are thrilled to announce the longlist of books for the 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel! From this list, the judges—@rachelbeanland @dionneirvingwriter @taymoursoomro —will select three finalists, to be announced in February. The winning book will be announced in March.”
On her book’s addition to the PEN/Hemingway Award longlist for Debut, Maggie Su shared on Instagram, “If this is a dream, please don’t wake me up.”
Related: Oprah’s Book Club Names This Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author’s New Book the No. 1 Title She 'Can’t Wait to Read in 2026'
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