The Médicis Prize for 2026 has revealed a shortlist of 35 books, with none of the selected titles coming from the French publisher Gallimard. This prize is part of the major literary awards season in the fall, with its first 2026 selection consisting of 18 French novels and 17 foreign novels translated into French. The winner will be announced on November 2, 2026, at the Paris restaurant La Méditerranée, a traditional venue for the award. The jury, chaired by Pascale Roze, includes notable figures such as Marianne Alphant, Michel Braudeau, Marie Darrieussecq, Dominique Fernandez, Anne F. Garréta, Patrick Grainville, Andreï Makine, and Alain Veinstein. The new winner will succeed Emmanuel Carrère, who won the prize in 2025 for Kolkhoze (P.O.L), a wide-ranging family story in which the author explores the history of his mother, Hélène Carrère d'Encausse. Carrère had previously been a finalist for the prestigious Goncourt Prize. Among the 18 French novels on the shortlist are works by authors such as Lucie Bérard (Décolorer sa fille, Les Intranquilles), Boris Bergmann (Minotaure, Albin Michel), Simon Chevrier (Bonne figure, Les Intranquilles), and Diaty Diallo (Darya & Dounya, Seuil, Fiction & Cie). Other notable titles include Rochebrune by Sophie Divry (Actes Sud), Nous aussi by Anne Godard (Actes Sud), and Après Mireille by Robin Josserand (Mercure de France). The list also features works by emerging and established authors, showcasing a diverse range of themes and styles in contemporary French literature. The 17 foreign novels in contention include translations from various languages and countries. These include Déclin et fascination by Eva Baltasar (Verdier), translated from Catalan by Annie Bats; Camping by Lavinia Branite (Éditions des Syrtes), translated from Romanian by Sylvain Audet-Găinar; and Les Porteuses d'eau by Sasha Bonét (Les Léonides), translated from English by Valérie Le Plouhinec. Other titles include L’Heure violette by Sergio del Molino (Éditions du Sous-Sol), translated from Spanish by Reyes Roher, and Hilda Bustamante revient by Salomé Esper (Aux Forges de Vulcain), translated from Spanish by Hélène Serrano. The list also includes works from authors such as Laura Kasischke (Baignade surveillée, Gallimard), translated from English by Céline Leroy, and La maison d'été by Masashi Matsuie (Éditions du Sous-Sol), translated from Japanese by Déborah Piérret-Watanabe. The official Médicis calendar now includes a second selection on Thursday, October 15, before the winners are announced on Monday, November 2, 2026. Notably, Gallimard is absent from the list of selected French novels, though it is well represented in the foreign selection with three titles. Some reports indicate that the publishing house is not represented in the French selection, while others highlight its strong presence in the foreign category.