The final deadline for entry in the 2026 Pulitzer Prize Book categories (including Fiction, History, Biography, Memoir or Autobiography, Poetry and General Nonfiction) is 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on October 15, 2025. This deadline encompasses all eligible work published in 2025, including titles published in the first half of the year and upcoming books scheduled for release in the final quarter of the year.
All eligible work published in calendar year 2025 must be submitted for consideration by the October 15 deadline, including books scheduled for publication before December 31. To reiterate: Books published late in 2025 will not be eligible for submission in 2026.
Books must be submitted as PDF files. Galleys or page-proofs also may be submitted in PDF form should a finished book be unavailable.
In order to be eligible, entered books must be available for purchase as hard copies; as stated in our Plan of Award, "eligibility for these awards shall be restricted to works first published in the United States during the year, and made available in hardcover or bound paperback for purchase by the general public." Titles released exclusively as e-books during the cycle are thus ineligible.
All materials must be uploaded electronically to the Pulitzer entry site (bdmentrysite.pulitzer.org), where the $75 handling fee for each entry may be tendered via credit or debit card. Cash and check payments are not accepted.
Technical specifications are available on the entry form at bdmentrysite.pulitzer.org. In order to access the form, entrants must create an account on the entry site through the "Login/Create Account" button on the top right corner of the entry site homepage; after doing so, click on the "Submit an Entry" button on the top scroll bar to access the form. For ease of navigability, please use a desktop, laptop or tablet while submitting entries.
The How to Enter page on Pulitzer.org offers detailed guidelines for the Book competitions.
Please email [email protected] with any questions or general inquiries.