NYPL Yong Lions Fiction Award Finalists 2025

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Finalists for the 2025 Young Lions Fiction Award Announced by The New York Public Library

The Young Lions Fiction Award honors the work of exceptional young (aged 35 or younger) and early-career authors.

Erica Ezeifedi

Associate Editor

Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack. Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.

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Apr 23, 2025

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On April 17th, The New York Public Library announced its five finalists for the Young Lions Fiction Award. This year is the 25th anniversary of the award, which honors the work of exceptional young (aged 35 or younger) and early-career authors.

The five fiction writers are chosen by a committee of writers, editors, and librarians. Past winners have included Bryan Washington for Lot and Ling Ma for Severance, and past finalists have included Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah for Chain Gang All-Stars and C Pam Zhang for Land of Milk and Honey.

The finalists are as follows:

Pemi Aguda for Ghostroots
Eliza Barry Callahan for The Hearing Test
Alexander Sammartino for Last Acts
Santiago Jose Sanchez for Hombrecito
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio for Catalina

The winner will be announced during a ceremony on June 12th in the Celeste Bartos Forum of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. They will win $10,000.

To learn more about the award, visit NYPL.

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