Dehradun: Valley of Words | Shabdavali has announced eight winners of the REC-VoW Book Awards 2026, recognising the best of English literature, Hindi sahitya, and writing for young adults and children.
Now in its tenth edition, the Valley of Words Festival continues to host India’s most comprehensive independent literary awards. Each winner will receive a prize of Rs 1 lakh, along with a citation and opportunity to participate in a panel discussion at the festival’s Finale in Dehradun, which will be held on 27, 28 and 29 November.
The awards received more than 600 nominations in 2026 from 75 publishing houses across the country. The selection process involves three stages of reading and review, with the shortlist and winners selected by a jury comprising previous VBA winners. Interviews with all shortlisted authors are also featured in the festival’s annual VoWels magazine.
Festival Director Dr Sanjeev Chopra said, “As in previous years, the response from publishers has been very positive. We also wish to thank all the Jury Members for their patient reading and insightful selections. Each of the books chosen this year is ambitious in its scope and covers themes which help us better understand ourselves and the world around us. We are all very much looking forward to engaging with the authors in Dehradun and bringing their work to audiences here.”
The REC-VoW Book Award winners for 2026 are:
English Fiction
Our Friends In Good Houses by Rahul Pandita (HarperCollins)
English Non-Fiction
The Hindi Heartland by Ghazala Wahab (Aleph)
Hindi Fiction
त्रिमाया by मनीषा कुलश्रेष्ठ (Vani)
Hindi Non-Fiction
चन्दन किवाड़ by मालिनी अवस्थी (Vani)
Writing for Young Adults
Giants by Huthuka Sumi (HarperCollins)
Writings/Picture Books for Children
The Night Sky by Samina Mishra (Tulika)
Hindi Translation
ऑर्बिटल, translated from English by डॉ रोहिणी (Penguin Swadesh)
English Translation
Sita’s Veil, translated from Hindi by Nishtha Gautam (Vani)
The winners will participate in conversations at the tenth edition of Valley of Words | Shabdavali on 27, 28 and 29 November at Hotel Madhuban in Dehradun.
For further information, visit www.valleyofwords.org or write to celebrate@valleyofwords.org.
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