The Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence

The Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence is a $10,000 endowed prize that is awarded annually; the prize is contingent upon the winner signing a contract for publication with DLJ Books at CSU Press. Past judges include Rosellen Brown, Pam Houston, Antonya Nelson, and Maureen Gibbon.

2026 Winner

It is with great enthusiasm that we announce the winner of the 2026 Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence:

Call Them By Their Names by Susan Fox

Call Them By Their Names is a historical novel set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II and inspired by true events. It tells the story of Sabine and Miron Zlatin, Jewish refugees who postpone their own escape to Switzerland to rescue fifteen endangered children. What begins as a temporary act of compassion grows into a life-changing mission as the couple creates a refuge for orphaned and displaced children in a remote mountain hamlet in eastern France.

As more children arrive, the Zlatins dedicate themselves to ensuring not only their survival but also their emotional and physical well-being. Despite constant danger, scarcity, and the threat of Nazi persecution, the Zlatins and their courageous supporters manage to create real life, real childhood for these orphans of disaster. Their dedication saves more than a hundred children from certain death.

By 1944, however, Nazi repression intensifies as an Allied invasion appears imminent. Sabine and Miron work tirelessly to move the children to safety, but tragedy strikes on April 6, 1944. While Sabine is away arranging safe transit for the last of the children, German troops raid their home. Forty-four children and six adults, including Miron, are hauled away to annihilation.

At its heart, Call Them By Their Names is a story of love, heroism, defiance and transcendence in the face of unspeakable brutality. Although fictionalized, it is closely based on historical documents, interviews, and surviving records. Written in honor of Sabine Zlatin’s wish, the book seeks to restore the identities and humanity of the lost children, ensuring that their lives and memories endure.

Learn more about author Susan Fox

2026 Finalists

The five finalists for the 2026 Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence selected by judge Maureen Gibbon are:

In alphabetical order:

• Patched Souls by Bipin Aurora
• White Sands by John Blair
• What Survives the Fire by Michelle Brady
• Call Them by Their Names by Susan Fox
• Feral Days by Alanna Schubach

Previous Winners

• 2025 - Melanie Pappadis Faranello, Everybody Needs Something
• 2024 – Maureen Stanton, The Murmur of Everything Moving
• 2023 - Ellen Birkett Morris, Beware the Tall Grass
• 2022 - Scott Nadelson, While It Lasts
• 2020 - Michelle Herman, Close-Up

Learn more about previous winners and their books on the Collumbus State University Press website