The 14th edition of the Student Novel Prize is kicking off!
Are you a student who loves to read?
Put your critical judgment to the test and advocate for your favorite books by joining the jury for the 2026 France Culture Student Novel Prize for the universities of Montpellier.
Each year, this award honors a work written in French that was published as part of the new literary season and selected by a jury of students.
What does serving as a juror entail?
- Read the five novels selected by France Culture, which each jury member receives in PDF format. These books will soon be available for loan at the UM libraries (Science Library, Richter Library, Pharmacy Library, UPM Medicine Library, and Nîmes Medicine Library, as well as at the IUT Learning Centers).
- Meet and interact with authors at participating universities and/or online.
- Share and discuss with one another on the dedicated platform to exchange perspectives.
- Vote for their favorite and present the award to the winner.
How do you become a juror?
All students, regardless of their field of study, can join the jury for the Student Novel Prize
simply by registering.
Your application must be submitted by midnight on Sunday, October 11, 2026!
A confirmation email will confirm your participation on the jury.
You will then receive PDF links to the five novels in the running.
Highlights of the event
- September 22: Registration Opens
- October 11 (midnight): Registration closes
- October 26–November 27: University and online events
- November 16: Online voting begins
- November 29 (midnight): Voting closes
- In December: Announcement of the winner and presentation of the 2026 Student Novel Prize
A selection curated by the voices of France Culture
This selection of five novels was curated by the France Culture Committee, composed of:
Marie Richeux, producer of the program“Le Book Club”
Arnaud Laporte, producer of the program“Comme un samedi”
Marie Sorbier, Producer of the programs“Le Point culture XXL: l’agenda”and“Le Point culture”
Lucile Commeaux, Producer of the program“Le Regard culturel”
Natacha Triou, Producer of the program“Les Midis de culture”
The official selection for this 14th edition
For this 14th edition, the France Culture selection committee has chosen five novels from the 2026 literary season.
The Sky Here Is Full of Éva Bottega – Éditions Denoël
“Depending on the day, I’d switch personalities—I was a warrior, a demon, a saint, a virgin. And I’d apologize to God for being so fickle, for being both a girl and a boy.” Alone in Los Angeles, a young woman wanders from bus to motel before reuniting with Adam, her ill-fated love…
Arnaud Laporte’s pick, producer of the show *Comme un samedi* : “I was swept away by the energy of this text—truly edgy, lively, and terribly punk. It’s a road trip, but above all, it’s a novel about bodies, about freedom, and about the price you have to pay.”
*Décolorer sa fille* by Lucie Bérard – Les Intranquilles Publishing
Paula, a young esthetician, leaves the Paris suburbs to settle by the sea with Tom, her partner, a gardener. In this apartment, she hopes for a fresh start, far from the smells and noises of the public housing tower where she grew up. But her daily life is haunted by memories of the women in her family. Confined to her home with her dog Scarlett, Paula sinks into a distressing domestic obsession…
The selection by Natacha Triou, producer of the show Les Midis de culture : “I devoured it this summer in one sitting, because that’s how it reads—it just flies by. There’s a rather strange atmosphere to it, an obsession with domestic life and hygiene. Something feels off, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.”
*The Book of the Underground* by Phoebe Hadjimarkos Clarke – Éditions du Sous-sol
Marie Marzouk, an artist in her middle years, disappears inexplicably during a performance. Her diary retraces, like a countdown, her final months. But slipped between the pages of the diary are mysterious sheets of paper recounting, in a strange language, the tale of a besieged city whose enemy remains unseen.
The selection by Marie Sorbier, producer of the show Le Point culture XXL: the calendar and Le Point culture : “I loved this book for several reasons, but first and foremost because it’s a very physical book. It’s about the body—a woman’s body, a body undergoing transformation, a body slipping away from the main character. She doesn’t know what’s happening to her, and all this talk of bodily fluids is written in a way that’s at once very raw, sometimes crass, yet full of tenderness and, above all, very real.”
(Re)Listen to “Approaching the Literary Season Through the Underground,” in Le Regard culturel by Lucile Commeaux andthe interview with Phoebe Hadjimarkos Clarke in Les Midis de Culture by Natacha Triou
*The Little Cosmonaut* by Franck Courtès – Julliard Publishing
From a stifling childhood in an apartment on Rue Poliveau to playing hooky in a Paris steeped in pain, from failed runaways to fights with street thugs, from his first Pentax to new wave vinyl records, *Le Petit Cosmonaute* paints a history of violence—and the attempt to escape it. Throughout this novel, Franck Courtès paints the portrait of a man observing a world he does not understand—a child who is both dark and luminous, an adult who is both tender and violent.
Selected by Lucile Commeaux, columnist for Regard Culturel : “It’s a very powerful book because it’s both wildly imaginative and very funny. It reminded me a lot of François Truffaut’s *The 400 Blows*.”
"But What Is That Blood on Jennifer's Sweater?" by Lucie Rico – P.O.L. Publishing
Jennifer is content with her life when, out of the blue—triggered by a computer keyboard malfunction—an unfinished sentence pops into her head, throwing the apparent logic of her existence off course.“In *Gone with the Wind*, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable are about to kiss when someone presses pause and…” And nothing. A blank space after that “and” takes over the page, leaving a hole in her memory. Jennifer then embarks on a hilarious and unsettling investigation.
A selection by Marie Richeux, producer of the show *Le Book Club* : “This book is one of those works that tackles the essential issue of gender-based and sexual violence by adopting a literary form, exploring language, and examining not only the distortion of language but also the labyrinthine nature of memory. One of my favorites from this fall’s literary season!”
(Re)Listen to“Lucie Rico or the Obsession with an Unfinished Sentence,” in The Book Club by Marie Richeux
