Mumbai, 16th September, 2026: Crossword Book Awards has announced the much-awaited longlist for its 20th edition in 2026, bringing together a wide-ranging selection of books and authors from across the country. From documentary novels and literary mysteries to historical fiction, family sagas, picture books and investigative non-fiction, the longlist reflects the many forms Indian storytelling is taking today.
The longlist features titles across five categories – Fiction, Non-fiction, Translations, Children’s Books, and Business & Management. Together, the books offer a mix of voices, genres and storytelling styles, highlighting both established authors and newer perspectives.
The Jury Awards shortlist and the Popular Choice Awards shortlist will be announced in October, giving readers the opportunity to vote for their favourite books. The winners will be revealed at the Crossword Book Awards ceremony in December.
Speaking about the longlist announcement, Nidhi Gupta, Director, Crossword Bookstores, said, “This year’s longlist reflects the many ways literature continues to engage with India today. It is an incredibly strong and diverse selection of books, bringing together a wide range of voices and perspectives. We’re grateful to our jury for the thought and rigour they bring to this process. As we celebrate the 20th edition of the Crossword Book Awards, we hope the awards continue to bring remarkable writing to more readers and create new discoveries.””
Children’s Books
The Children’s Books longlist reflects how wide children’s publishing has become, from history and sport to ecology, regional knowledge, humour and stories rooted in India‘s cultural past.
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Ancient Indians: The Amazing Story of Our Early, Earlier, Earliest Ancestors by Tony Joseph, adapted for children by Devika Cariapa, illustrated by Rajiv Eipe (Juggernaut Publications)
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Babasaheb Ambedkar: An Inspirational Life by Mukunda Rao(Westland Books)
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Giants by Huthuka Sumi, illustrated by Canato Jimo (HarperCollins Publishers India)
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If Elephants Could Talk by Ranjeeta Ram, illustrated by Damini Gupta (Hachette India)
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Lightning Kid: 64 Winning Lessons from the Boy Who Became Five-Time World Chess Champion by Viswanathan Anand (Hachette India)
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Our Rice Tastes of Spring by Anumeha Yadav, illustrated by Spitting Image (Westland Books)
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Rain Holiday by Shreya Ramachandran (Speaking Tiger)
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The White Lotus by Aditi Krishnakumar (Penguin Random House India)
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The Big Book of Poop: The Messy Science of Scat, Splat, Droppings and Dung by Shweta Taneja, illustrated by Sunaina Coelho (Juggernaut Publications)
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The War Elephants of Trigarta by Sarita Mandanna (Aleph Book Company)
Non-fiction
This year’s Non-fiction longlist covers a diverse set of subjects, offering readers new ways to look at history, society, culture, people and the world around them.
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Believer’s Dilemma: Vajpayee and the Hindu Right’s Path to Power, 1978–2018 by Abhishek Choudhary (PanMacmillan India)
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Called by the Hills: A Home in the Himalaya by Anuradha Roy (Hachette India)
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Dapaan: Tales from Kashmir’s Conflict by Ipsita Chakravarty (Westland Books)
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Scamlands: Inside the Ancient Empire of Fraud That Preys on the World by Snigdha Poonam (Penguin Random House India )
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The Dig: Keeladi and Politics of India’s Past by Sowmiya Ashok (Hachette India)
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The Secret Master: Arun Kashalkar and a Journey to the Edge of Music by Sumana Ramanan (Westland Books)
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The Great Indian Brain Rot: Love, Lies & Algorithms in Digital India by Anurag Minus Verma (Bloomsbury India)
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The Hindi Heartland: A Study by Ghazala Wahab (Aleph Book Company)
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We, the People of India: Decoding a Nation’s Symbols by T.M Krishna (Westland Books)
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Wild Capital: Discovering Nature in Delhi by Neha Sinha (HarperCollins Publishers India)
Translations
From Assamese and Telugu to Tamil, Hindi, Urdu and Bangla, the Translations longlist brings together stories that cross linguistic and regional boundaries.
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Moonlight Saga by Arupa Patangia Kalita, translated from Assamese by Ranjita Biswas by (Speaking Tiger)
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On the Banks of the Pampa by Volga, Translated from Telugu by Purnima Tammireddy by (HarperCollins Publishers India)
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One Million Footsteps by Jeyamohan, Translated from Tamil by V. Iswarya by (Juggernaut Publications)
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Our Madhopur Home by Tripurari Sharan, Translated from Hindi by Arunava Sinha (Simon & Schuster India)
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Sita’s Veil by Anamika, Translated from Hindi by Nishtha Gautam (Vani Prakashan)
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The Chinese Mansion by Siddique Alam, Translated from Urdu by Jaideep Pandey (Hachette India)
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The Grave Exhumers and other stories by Lutfor Rahaman, Translated from Bangla by Mursed Alam (Yoda Press)
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The Last Bench by Adhir Biswas, Translated from Bangla by V. Ramaswamy (Westland Books)
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The Mapmaker by Maitry Roy Moulik, Translated from Bangla by Chandana Dutta (Niyogi Books)
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Tiger Lessons by Sannapureddy Venkatarami Reddy, Translated from Telugu by Narasimha Kumar (Bloomsbury India)
Fiction
From contemporary stories to compelling narratives rooted in place, memory and identity, the Fiction longlist brings together a varied selection of voices.
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Absolute Jafar by Sarnath Banerjee (HarperCollins Publishers India)
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Good Arguments by Deepika Arwind (Simon & Schuster India)
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Railsong by Rahul Bhattacharya (Bloomsbury India)
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Real Life by Amrita Mahale (Penguin Random House India)
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The Menon Investigation by Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari (Penguin Random House India)
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The Remnants of Rebellion by Ponnu Elizabeth Mathew (Aleph Book Company)
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The Elsewhereans by Jeet Thayil (HarperCollins Publishers India )
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The Courtesan, Her Lover and I by Tarana Husain Khan (Hachette India)
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The Way Home by Shanta Gokhale (Speaking Tiger)
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Water Days by Sundar Sarukkai (Westland Books)
Business & Management
The Business & Management longlist looks at ideas, people, organisations and decisions that shape the way we work and do business.
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Coffee King: The Swift Rise and Sudden Death of Café Coffee Day Founder V. G. Siddhartha by Rukmini Rao, Prosenjit Datta (PanMacmillan India)
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Family And Dhanda: A To Z Of Succession Planning For Founders And Successors by Srinath Sridharan (Rupa Publications India)
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Human Edge in the AI Age: Eight Timeless Mantras for Success by Nitin Seth (Penguin Random House India)
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Made in India: The Story of Desh Bandhu Gupta, Lupin and Indian Pharma, by Manish Sabharwal, Sundeep Khanna (Juggernaut Publications)
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More from Less for More: Innovation’s Holy Grail by Raghunath Mashelkar and Sushil Borde (Penguin Random House India)
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Running Behind Lakshmi: The Search for Wealth in India’s Stock Market by Adil Rustomjee (Hachette India)
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Tatyasaheb: The Story of a Bombay Entrepreneur by Tejaswini Apte-Rahm (Westland Books)
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The Great Sanctions Hack by Urjit Patel (Rupa Publications India)
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The S.I.S story: How an Accidental Entrepreneur from Bihar Created a Global Services Conglomerate by Prince Mathews Thomas (HarperCollins Publishers India)
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The Day the Chariot Moved: How India Grows at the Grassroots by Subroto Bagchi (Penguin Random House India)
Twenty editions in, the Crossword Book Awards continue to recognise established literary voices while making space for new writers, new forms and new conversations about India. This year’s longlist reflects that evolving literary landscape, with stories and ideas travelling across languages, regions and generations. Across categories, the longlisted books engage with questions shaping contemporary India, from AI and surveillance to caste, migration, ecology, identity and entrepreneurship. The jury brings together voices such as Anuja Chauhan, Jyoti Malhotra, Rama Bijapurkar, Ranjit Lal and Meena Kandasamy, bringing perspectives from fiction, journalism, business, children’s literature and translation to this year’s awards.
