The winners of the 2025 Porchlight Business Book Awards were revealed at a publishing industry celebration in New York City on January 28. The four winners, one per category, are:
Current Events & Public Affairs: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao (Penguin Press)
Innovation & Creativity: The Storyteller's Advantage: How Powerful Narratives Make Businesses Thrive by Christina Farr (Basic Venture)
Leadership & Management: Reset: How to Change What's Not Working by Dan Heath (Avid Reader Press)
Personal Development & Human Behavior: Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara(Pantheon Books)
Additionally, the Jack Covert Award for Contribution to the Business Book Industry was given to Lynn Goldberg & Camille McDuffie, of Goldberg McDuffie Communications.
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The shortlist has been selected for the 2026 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, which is sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, part of the Department of Culture and Tourism--Abu Dhabi. All the finalists receive $10,000; the winner, who will be announced April 9, receives an extra $50,000.
The shortlist:
The Origin of Species by Ahmad Abdulatif (Egypt)
The Absence of Mai by Najwa Barakat (Lebanon)
A Cloud Above My Head by Doaa Ibrahim (Egypt)
The Seer by Diaa Jubaili (Iraq)
I Resist the River's Course by Said Khatibi (Algeria)
Siesta Dream by Amin Zaoui (Algeria)
Chair of judges Mohamed Elkadhi said, "The shortlist features a diverse range of narratives that delve into the depths of the human psyche, while also exploring current Arab reality and its varied intellectual currents. They journey through time to past eras, reinterpreting them to reveal hidden aspects of evolving Arab identity.
"These novels illustrate the level the Arabic novel has reached, through their openness to contemporary issues and stylistic diversity. Shunning didacticism, they appeal to the evolving tastes of readers who aspire to be partners in the creative process, not merely consumers of texts."