PEN/Faulkner Award 2026: Complete list of winners

The 2026 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction has gone to Mahreen Sohail for Small Scale Sinners, a selection that underscores the award’s continued commitment to recognizing bold, distinctive voices in American literature. The PEN/Faulkner Award, named after the legendary Southern writer William Faulkner, stands as one of the most prestigious honors for fiction writers working today—voted on entirely by authors, which gives the award a unique credibility within the literary community. Each year, the award celebrates work that demonstrates exceptional craft and artistic vision, and this year’s winner clearly fits that tradition.

Sohail’s Small Scale Sinners joins a distinguished lineage of PEN/Faulkner winners known for their inventive narratives and unflinching examinations of human complexity. The novel’s selection reflects the kind of contemporary fiction that the award has championed in recent years: work that takes creative risks while remaining deeply engaged with character and consequence. For those who follow major literary prizes, the PEN/Faulkner Award remains an essential indicator of which debuts and established works deserve serious attention—a recognition that can significantly shape a book’s trajectory in the literary world.

Below, you’ll find complete details about this year’s honoree and what makes this fiction winner a standout choice for 2026.

Fiction

• Small Scale Sinners by Mahreen Sohail