The Joyce Carol Oates Prize, established by the New Literary Project, annually honors a mid-career fiction writer whose work significantly contributes to contemporary literature. The prize includes a $50,000 award and a brief residency at the University of California, Berkeley, where the recipient engages in public readings, talks, and teaching sessions.
In December 2024, the New Literary Project announced the longlist for the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize, featuring 32 authors recognized for their notable contributions to fiction. These authors have each published at least two significant works and have yet to receive major accolades such as the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, or MacArthur Fellowship. The longlisted authors and their most recent works are:
- Rumaan Alam: Entitlement (Riverhead)
- Jami Attenberg: A Reason to See You Again (Ecco)
- Marie-Helene Bertino: Beautyland (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
- Venita Blackburn: Dead in Long Beach, California (MCD)
- Rita Bullwinkel: Headshot (Viking)
- Ryan Chapman: The Audacity (Soho)
- Jennine Capó Crucet: Say Hello to My Little Friend (Simon & Schuster)
- Leif Enger: I Cheerfully Refuse (Grove Atlantic)
- Amina Gautier: The Best That You Can Do (Soft Skull)
- Thomas Grattan: In Tongues (MCD)
- Abby Geni: The Body Farm (Counterpoint)
- Cristina Henríquez: The Great Divide (Ecco)
- Maria Hummel: Goldenseal (Counterpoint)
- Miranda July: All Fours (Riverhead)
- Porochista Khakpour: Tehrangeles (Pantheon)
- Crystal Hana Kim: The Stone Home (William Morrow/HarperCollins)
- Lisa Ko: Memory Piece (Riverhead)
- R.O. Kwon: Exhibit (Riverhead)
- Caroline Leavitt: Days of Wonder (Algonquin)
- Hilary Leichter: Terrace Story (Ecco)
- Sarah Manguso: Liars (Hogarth)
- Chigozie Obioma: The Road to the Country (Hogarth)
- Tommy Orange: Wandering Stars (Knopf)
- Kimberly King Parsons: We Were the Universe (Knopf)
- Julia Phillips: Bear (Hogarth)
- Andrew Porter: The Disappeared (Knopf)
- Regina Porter: The Rich People Have Gone Away (Hogarth)
- Rudy Ruiz: The Border Between Us (Blackstone)
- Danzy Senna: Colored Television (Riverhead)
- Morgan Talty: Fire Exit (Tin House)
- Laura van den Berg: State of Paradise (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
- Willy Vlautin: The Horse (Harper)
These authors were selected from submissions by publishers, agents, authors, and author representatives. The selection process involves a distinguished jury that reviews the longlist and narrows it down to a shortlist of finalists, expected to be announced in March 2025. The final recipient of the prize will be named in April 2025.
The Joyce Carol Oates Prize is distinctive in that it honors an author’s entire body of work rather than a single publication. This approach acknowledges the sustained contributions of mid-career authors who have significantly impacted the literary landscape but have not yet received major national recognition.
The New Literary Project, based in Oakland, California, collaborates with the University of California, Berkeley’s English Department to administer the prize. Since its inception in 2017, the prize has recognized authors such as T. Geronimo Johnson, Anthony Marra, Laila Lalami, Daniel Mason, Danielle Evans, Lauren Groff, Manuel Muñoz, and Ben Fountain. Each recipient has participated in a brief residency at UC Berkeley, engaging with the academic community and the public through various literary events.
The 2025 longlist showcases a diverse array of voices and narratives, reflecting the richness of contemporary fiction. From Rumaan Alam’s exploration of societal dynamics in Entitlement to Tommy Orange’s portrayal of Native American experiences in Wandering Stars, these works offer readers a wide range of perspectives and storytelling styles.
The inclusion of authors like Miranda July, known for her innovative narratives, and Chigozie Obioma, whose works delve into Nigerian culture and mythology, highlights the prize’s commitment to celebrating diverse literary contributions. Additionally, the presence of emerging voices such as Morgan Talty, whose Fire Exit examines contemporary Indigenous life, underscores the prize’s role in recognizing and supporting rising talent in the literary world.
