The Les Inrockuptibles literary prize has announced its shortlist for the 2026 edition, with 30 works remaining in contention across three categories: French novels or narratives, foreign literature, and debut novels. Laura Vazquez, the 2025 winner for Les Forces (Sous-Sol), is presiding over this seventh edition of the prize. Established in 2020, the prize is now organized through several events throughout the year, with autumn dedicated to literature. A narrowed selection will be revealed on September 17, before the announcement of the winners at the end of October. The selection of French novels or narratives includes works by Louise Chennevière, Faire la peau (P.O.L); Constance Debré, Protocoles (Flammarion); Diaty Diallo, Darya & Dounya (Seuil); Anne F. Garréta, DJ – Portrait de l’artiste en animale nocturne (Mercure de France); Karim Kattan, Septentrionale (Elyzad); Anne Godard, Nous aussi (Actes Sud); Phœbe Hadjimarkos Clarke, Le Livre des souterrains (Sous-Sol); Yannick Haenel, La solitude des professeurs est infinie (Gallimard); Anne Plantagenet, En l’absence de corps (Julliard); and Éric Reinhardt, L’Imparfait (Stock). Foreign novels or narratives include works by Eva Baltasar, Déclin et fascination (Verdier), translated from Catalan by Annie Bats; Lenka Elbe, Uranova (Aux Forges de Vulcain), translated from Czech by Eurydice Antolin; Siri Hustvedt, Ghost Stories (Gallimard), translated from English (United States) by Frédéric Joly; Laura Kasischke, Baignade surveillée (Gallimard), translated from English (United States) by Céline Leroy; Katie Kitamura, L’Audition (Stock), translated from English (United States) by Céline Leroy; poupeh missaghi, Inventaire des disparus (Quidam), translated from English (United States) by Yannicke Chupin; Tom Newlands, Ici, maintenant (Métailié), translated from English (Scotland) by Marguerite Capelle and Anatole Pons-Reumaux; Ece Temelkuran, Une nation d’étrangers (Stock), translated from English by Christel Gaillard-Paris; Kae Tempest, Toute une vie à chercher (L’Olivier), translated from English by Madeleine Nasalik; and Ocean Vuong, L’Empereur de la joie (Gallimard), translated from English (United States) by Hélène Cohen. Debut novels include works by Amandine Agić, D’un pays qui n’existe plus (L’Olivier); Iman Ahmed, Abdallah superstar (Actes Sud); Douce Dibondo, Le Mouvement (Rivages); Marouane Essadek, Mon corps donné pour vous (Notabilia); Amélie Hamad, Les Quelqu’unes (Le Gospel); Adèle Haenel, Viser juste (L’Arche); Caroline Knecht, Ainsi la Cour décide (Catabase – La Découverte); Jean-Philippe Louis, Les Fils du kapokier (Gallimard); Daria Marx, Tuer le vieux (Flammarion); and Lucile Novat, Voir venir (Sous-Sol). The jury includes Nelly Kaprièlian, Emmanuel Hoog, Jean-Marc Lalanne, Carole Boinet, Sylvie Tanette, Gérard Lefort, and Pauline Le Gall. Laura Vazquez succeeds in the presidency of the prize after having won, last year, the French novel or narrative category with Les Forces. In 2025, Séphora Pondi had also been awarded for her debut novel Avale (Grasset). The foreign novel prize was exceptionally awarded jointly to Sigrid Nunez for Les Vulnérables (Stock, translated by Mathilde Bach) and to Sheena Patel for Je suis fan (Gallimard, translated by Marie Darrieussecq).