Alexander Sammartino Wins 2025 Young Lions Fiction Award for Last Acts

Images by NYPL

The winner was announced at a ceremony at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building that also celebrated the Award’s 25th anniversary

On July 12, 2025, The New York Public Library revealed Alexander Sammartino as the winner of the 2025 Young Lions Fiction Award for Last Acts, a debut novel that doubles as a father-son story and social satire, filled with unexpected turns of both hope and disaster.

The Young Lions Fiction Award honors the work of exceptional young and early-career authors. Founded in 2001, the Award is given each year to an American writer aged 35 or younger for either a novel or a collection of short stories. Five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a committee of writers, editors, and librarians. A panel of award judges selected the winner of this year’s $10,000 prize.

The winner was announced during an award ceremony on June 12, 2025 in the Celeste Bartos Forum of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Penn Badgley, co-author of the forthcoming Crushmore, was the emcee at the award ceremony, which also featured a series of readings from the finalists’ titles. Tyler Foggatt read from ‘Pemi Aguda’s Ghostroots; Millicent Simmonds signed a passage from Eliza Barry Callahan’s The Hearing Test; Ebon Moss-Bachrach read from Alexander Sammartino’s Last Acts; Fran Tirado read from Santiago Jose Sanchez’s Hombrecito; and Alexa Barajas read from Catalina. 

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Young Lions Fiction Award. 

“Congratulations to Alexander Sammartino for winning this year’s Young Lions Fiction Award for Last Acts! I would also like to recognize all of the finalists for their bold creativity and innovation in contemporary fiction. The Young Lions Fiction Award celebrates the exceptional talent of writers at the early stage of their career, recognizing their work at an important juncture,” said Anthony W. Marx, President of The New York Public Library. “I’m also thrilled to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Young Lions Fiction Award. The Library has contributed to ensuring early-career and diverse voices have an impact on our cultural and literary life—both in New York City and beyond—through the Award, and we look forward to continuing to do so into the future.” 

The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award was created by Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Rick Moody, and Hannah McFarland. For more details about the Young Lions Fiction Award, visit our website.

The Award is made possible by an endowment created with generous gifts from Russell Abrams, Nina Collins, Hannah and Gavin McFarland, Ethan Hawke, Stephan Loewentheil, Rick Moody, Andrea Olshan and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh.

About The New York Public Library

For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support. 

About the Young Lions
The Young Lions is a membership group for New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s who are committed to supporting the work of the Library. Each season, members enjoy exclusive events that feature writers and leaders in the arts, politics, business, law, and the media. Through presenting dynamic events and contributing to the General Book Fund, the Young Lions are integral to the life of the Library and its future. Information about the Young Lions group is available online at nypl.org/joinyl or by phone 212-930-0968.