The 2025 Young Lions Fiction Award Goes To Alexander Sammartino.

Last nighttime astatine nan New York Public Library, Alexander Sammartino won the Young Lions Fiction award for his debut caller Last Acts. This was nan 25th twelvemonth of nan Young Lions Award, which comes pinch a $10,000 prize.

Last Acts follows a man burdened pinch a failing weapon shop and a boy recovering from a near-fatal overdose. The vulnerable narration betwixt nan begetter and boy is tested arsenic they conspire to outrun bankruptcy and execute immoderate benignant of American dream done a bid of misadventures and hijinks.

Sammartino was selected retired of a group of 5 finalists which besides included ‘Pemi Aguda’s Ghostroots, Eliza Barry Callahan’s The Hearing Test, Santiago Jose Sanchez’s Hombrecito, and Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s Catalina.

The grant ceremonial astatine nan NYPL’s midtown branch was emceed by Penn Badgley—there was a minutes-long gasp-and-chatter hold erstwhile it was announced he was hosting. Interestingly, nan characteristic Badgley played connected Gossip Girl was a finalist for nan Young Lions Award, which made for a meta, afloat circle moment. A action from each of nan finalists’ novels was publication by a star-studded line-up of Tyler Foggatt, Millicent Simmonds, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Fran Tirado, and Alexa Barajas.

The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award was created 25 years agone by Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Rick Moody, and Hannah McFarland. Sammartino joins past winners E.J. Koh, Zain Khalid, Kalani Pickhart, Catherine Lacey, Ling Ma, and more.