Living Now Book Awards name 2026 lifestyle and wellness winners

The Living Now Book Awards have announced their 2026 medalists and finalists, recognizing standout lifestyle and wellness books across personal growth, health, relationships, spirituality, resilience and social change. The program added finalists for the first time after a strong field of entries, expanding recognition beyond gold, silver and bronze medals.

Why it matters: - The 2026 awards spotlight books aimed at improving daily life, well-being and social connection. - The expanded finalist list gives more authors and publishers a chance to be recognized in a competitive year. - The honorees include independent authors, self-publishers and established publishing houses, underscoring the range of voices in lifestyle and wellness publishing.

What happened: - The Living Now Book Awards announced its 2026 medalists and finalists on Aug. 12, 2026. - The awards recognized books across lifestyle and wellness categories, including personal growth, health, relationships, spirituality, resilience and social change. - The program also marked a first by naming finalists in addition to gold, silver and bronze medalists.

The details: - Judges selected finalists after what the awards described as an especially strong field of entries. - The honorees were chosen for quality, creativity and impact. - The awards said the winning books offer fresh ideas, meaningful perspectives and practical guidance for living well in today’s world. - The contest results are available in the full contest results. - The Living Now Book Awards have recognized inspiring lifestyle titles since 2008. - The program spans more than 25 categories, including cooking, entertaining, fitness, travel, personal development and sustainability. - A panel of judges that includes authors, educators and publishing professionals evaluates entries for content, design and creativity. - The awards select 3–6 medalists per category.

Between the lines: - Adding finalists suggests the competition has become strong enough to merit broader recognition beyond the traditional medal structure. - The awards continue to position lifestyle books as tools for personal growth and community impact, not just consumer reading. - The mix of indie and traditional publishers shows that the category remains open to a wide range of business models and voices.

What's next: - The awards will continue to highlight standout lifestyle titles across future cycles. - Jenkins Group will keep administering the Living Now Book Awards as part of its broader slate of five book award programs. - More information is available on the Living Now Book Awards website.