Eight books have been selected as finalists for four literary awards at the 2026 Salon des Femmes de Lettres, an event scheduled to take place on November 4, 2026, at the Cercle National des Armées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The awards to be presented include the Prix Simone Veil, the Prix des Femmes de Lettres, the Prix Cocktail & Culture, and the Prix de la Mairie du 8e. The Prix Simone Veil recognizes works written by women that highlight notable female figures and reflect the personality and commitments of Simone Veil, a French politician known for her advocacy for women's rights. It is awarded in two categories: essay and biography. The 2026 final selection includes the following titles: Elles ont changé le monde sur le Léman by Ann Bandle and Béatrice Peyrani (Slatkine), La petite fille au ruban bleu by Natalie David-Weill (Flammarion), Maître, sortez-moi de là! by Najwa El Haïté (Mareuil), Alma Karlin, voyageuse de l’extrême 1889-1950 by Caroline Fabre-Rousseau (Chèvre-feuille étoilée), Le souffle de la forêt by Simonetta Greggio (Arthaud), Perverse ou le roman de Jane by Lyane Guillaume (Éditions du Rocher), Yvonne Jean-Haffen by Geneviève Haroche-Bouzinac (Flammarion), and La Reine et le Sabre by Yasmine Murat (l'Archipel). These works span a range of genres and themes, reflecting the diverse contributions of women in literature. The jury for the 2026 awards includes notable figures such as Nicole Bacharan, Ariane Bois, Emmanuelle de Boysson, Cécilia Dutter, Irène Frain, Anne Fulda, Alix Girod de l’Ain, Félicité Herzog, Michèle Kahn, Kenizé Mourad, Luce Perrot, Barbara Rosnay-Veil, and Valérie Toranian, as well as the winners of the 2025 edition. The awards will be announced during the evening of November 4. The event is organized by the association Cocktail & Culture, which hosts several salons and literary awards throughout the year. Last year, the Prix Simone Veil was awarded to Yaël Braun-Pivet for À ma place (Buchet Chastel) in the essay category and to Jocelyne Sauvard for Antoinette Fouque (Flammarion) in the biography category. The Prix des Femmes de Lettres was awarded to Inna Shevchenko for Une lettre de l’Est. Voix plurielle des femmes ukrainiennes (Des femmes-Antoinette Fouque), while Véronique Le Bris received the Prix de la Mairie du 8e for Alice Guy (Hors Collection). The Prix Cocktail & Culture awarded two works: Je voulais vivre by Adélaïde de Clermont-Tonnerre (Grasset) and Le Pacte du désert by Roselyne Febvre (Éditions du Rocher).