The Best Short Stories 2026: The O. Henry Prize Winners

by Tommy Orange (Editor), Jennifer Minton Quigley (Other)

The prestigious annual story anthology, featuring prize-winning stories by a diverse and exciting array of writers.

Continuing a century-long tradition of cutting-edge literary excellence, this year's edition contains twenty prizewinning stories chosen from the thousands published in magazines over the previous year. Guest editor Tommy Orange has brought his own refreshing perspective to the prize, selecting stories by an engaging mix of celebrated names and emerging voices. The winning stories are accompanied by an introduction by Orange, observations from the winning writers on what inspired them, and an extensive resource list of magazines that publish short fiction.

Genres: Short Stories

Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 29, 2026

About the author

Tommy Orange is a recent graduate from the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is a 2014 MacDowell Fellow, and a 2016 Writing by Writers Fellow. He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. He was born and raised in Oakland, California, and currently lives in Angels Camp, California.

Reviews

[Diane Dachota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of short stories, selected by writer Tommy Orange. I enjoyed most of this story collection that explores the frailties and complexities of the human experience. Orange selected a broad selection of authors, some of which are indigenous and other people of color. There were some well known authors in the selection including Louise, Erdrich, Colm Tóibín and Brandon Taylor. Some of my favorites in the collection were: "Stick Season" by Jenny Xie which is about a doomed relationship, "This Time and the Next" by Noel QuÎnones which is about the fractured relationship between an incarcerated father and his daughter and "The Ghost Coat" by Catherine Lacey which is about a mysterious coat that the main character finds and can't identify.

I also appreciated the book editors adding a extensive list of literary journals that accept short story submissions and a section where the various authors give some insight on their inspiration for their stories. There is not a bad one in the bunch here-highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of twenty stories from the O. Henry Prize winners of the year will be published in September 2026, and it is a very good anthology. In his introduction, Tommy Orange shares the information that his agent told him about short story anthologies: they do not sell very well. I hope that this book will defy that point and make its way into book shops and libraries and into the hands of readers who will appreciate the beauty of these stories.

The authors of these stories hail from around the world, and I enjoyed reading about different cultures in a wide variety of voices. I think lovers of short literary fiction will find much to like in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When asked to recommend a book or author, I often offer up my favorite collections of short stories. Short stories are a great snapshot of an author's storytelling skills. The Best Short Stories 2026 offers 20 O Henry Award winners, their winning stories, and a short description of the author's inspiration for their stories. In any collection, some stories will resonate with readers better than others, but these are all winners. I guarantee if you read them, you'll find many authors to add to your "must-read" TBR list.

[Bennett T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Short Stories 2026 is a good mix of short stories edited by Tommy Orange. A few standouts for me were:

Welcome to the Club by Samantha Schweblin — also one of my favorite authors! Check out Good and Evil, her collection of short stories

All Stories by Kevin Wilson

The Ghost Cat by Catherine Lacey

Some of the stories lost me, but overall a solid pick for short story fans, and a good way to discover some new authors.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful selection of short stories. I appreciate the inclusion of indigenous writers in this year’s collection. I need to read more indigenous fiction after enjoying these stories. Orange is an extremely talented writer and that is reflected in his discernment in compiling these short stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Amy Del Rio-Gazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always so excited to pick up these yearly short story collections, and this year was no exception! What a wide variety of talent and voices in this collection.

This Time and the Next by Noel Quiñones and Pretend by Mary Williams were the standout stories for me, but all are worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!