Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Pantheon) has won the 2025 Inside Literary Prize, which is judged exclusively by incarcerated readers and is sponsored by Freedom Reads in collaboration with the National Book Foundation, the Center for Justice Innovation, and Interabang Books co-owner Lori Feathers. Some 300 people incarcerated in six states and territories across the country voted on the prize.
The winning author said, "There is no question that this is the highest possible honor a book like this could ever receive. I take it to mean those who judged believed I was not careless or callous, that I used language in a way that felt like truth. This retroactive mandate is a gift I can never repay, but one I will forever be grateful for. I want to thank all those Inside, those who judged and those who did not. This award is dedicated to you all."