The Southern Book Prize season is almost upon us! Designed to highlight indie booksellers as a trustworthy source for what to read next, and to extend the shelf life (and therefore sales) of the buzz-worthy books of the year, the list of finalists will be announced to the public on November 1, and the ballot will open for the bookstores' customers to vote on "the best Southern books of the year."

SIBA Bookstores should watch their inboxes next week for an early sneak peek of the 2026 Southern Book Prize finalists. Member stores receive advance notice to give them time to check stock levels and make plans for their own displays and social media campaigns.

What to expect: The Southern Book Prize timeline

October 1: Six finalists are chosen in the three categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, and Young Readers. Finalists are chosen from books that have received the most nominations and positive reviews from SIBA member bookstores, and represent the favorite "handsells" of Southern booksellers for the year. Read more about eligibility requirements here.

October 15: Booksellers receive the list of finalists, and their Southern Book Prize toolkit with SBP marketing assets including downloadable flyers, shelf talkers, and bookmarks as well as social media graphics. SIBA also arranges an additional 2% discount with Ingram for orders of finalist titles. No code required.

November 1: The Southern Book Prize Ballot is launched at The Southern Bookseller Review. The ballot is meant to be a tool for bookstores to use get their customers engaged in the question of what should be the best Southern book of the year. Anyone can vote, but readers have to list their local bookstore, and say what they love about it. In the past this has created a truly heartwarming collection of praise for SIBA's member stores, ranging from "They always recommend great books" to "They keep every Star Wars novel in stock." SIBA provides bookstores with the option to host the ballot on their own website and drive traffic to their own store.

November 1 - January 31: The Southern Book Prize voting period. During this time SIBA will promote what booksellers have to say about each of the eighteen finalists. They will be featured in The Southern Bookseller Review, and shared on social media with the reviewing store, the author, and the publisher tagged.

February 14: Southern Book Prize Winners announced. From February 1-14, SIBA hosts a Southern Book Prize social media scavenger hunt to get readers engaged in the outcome and following Southern indie bookstores.