Have A Great Book?
Entries for the 2026 Non-Obvious Book Awards are officially open. Here's everything you need to know to enter — and why we make it easier than any other book awards program.
The Rules
To be considered for the 2026 Non-Obvious Book Awards, books must have a publication date between November 2025 and December 2026 and be available in print — no books that are available only as ebooks or audiobooks will be considered. We accept galleys, ARCs or final copies for review. We do not review books in digital format.
All entered books must have applications for business, but do not necessarily need to be officially categorized as a business book. We are happy to consider any non-fiction book that can help make a business leader or entrepreneur more successful or smarter. And remember — you don't pick a category. Every book is simply submitted, and our judges award winners in the category they believe fits best.
Just let us know when you enter what makes the book a non-obvious submission and why we should consider it. Cover letters, press materials and any other resources may be submitted along with the books. Please do not send more than two copies of the book!
There is no fee to be considered, but we must receive two physical copies of any book entered by 10/31/26. If additional review copies are required, our team will contact you. Winners are announced every December!
The Fine Print
Physical manuscripts, galleys or books will not be returned. Plan accordingly — and know they'll be read with care.
We do not accept any sorts of payments or bribes in order to consider a book — even particularly delicious chocolate. If any chocolate does accompany your submission, you can expect that it also will not be returned.
There is no application fee to submit your book for consideration. We do not run this book program as a for-profit venture. Instead, we believe in the power of great books and want to help share them with the world.
Where To Send Your Book
Non-Obvious Book AwardsOur Promise
Every book entered will receive full consideration and be reviewed carefully by our team. We deeply respect authors and the time and care it takes to write any book … and we promise to give every submission a fair chance, regardless of the topic, publisher, author or commercial success of the book.
Stay Non-Obvious
Subscribe to the Non-Obvious Newsletter and get a weekly Non-Obvious Book of the Week recommendation, award winner announcements and the non-obvious stories 25,000+ readers look forward to every Thursday.
Subscribe Free →One email every Thursday. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.