Founded and organized by Fnac and the French ministry for national education and youth, under the distinguished patronage of the Académie Goncourt, the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens provides nearly 2,000 high-school students with the unique opportunity to choose the winner from the Académie’s official shortlist. Through this prize, Fnac intends to promote reading among young people alongside access to culture for all.
Spotlight on the 14 Novels Shortlisted* for the 2024 Prix Goncourt des Lycéens
- Ruben Barrouk, Tout le bruit du Guéliz (All the noise of Guéliz) (Albin Michel)
- Thomas Clerc, Paris Musée du XXIe siècle (Paris, 21st-century museum) (Les éditions de Minuit)
- Sandrine Collette, Madelaine avant l’aube (Madelaine before dawn) (JC Lattès)
- Kamel Daoud, Houris (Gallimard)
- Hélène Gaudy, Archipels (Archipelagoes) (L’Olivier)
- Philippe Jaenada, La désinvolture est une bien belle chose (Casual is a beautiful thing) (Mialet-Barrault)
- Maylis de Kerangal, Jour de ressac (Surf day) (Verticales)
- Étienne Kern, La vie meilleure (A better life) (Gallimard)
- Emmanuelle Lambert, Aucun respect (No respect) (Stock)
- Rebecca Lighieri, Le Club des enfants perdus (The lost children’s club) (P.O.L)
- Thibault de Montaigu, Cœur (Heart) (Albin Michel)
- Olivier Norek, Les guerriers de l’hiver (Winter warriors) (Michel Lafon)
- Jean-Noël Orengo, “Vous êtes l’amour malheureux du Führer” (“You are the unfortunate love of the Führer”) (Grasset)
- Abdellah Taïa, Le Bastion des larmes (The bastion of tears) (Julliard)
How Does the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens Work?
From September to November 2024, students from 53 high schools, including three French high schools located in Jordan, Canada and the United States, will read and study the shortlisted novels. These students will be in tenth to twelfth grade and following general, technological or vocational courses. The students in question will have the opportunity to converse with the literary nominees, at meetings organized by Fnac in six French cities.
These readings and discussions will allow the high-school students to select three regional finalists during the regional deliberations on November 25. Then, on November 28, once the national deliberations have concluded, the winner for 2024 will be unveiled. The 2024 winner will succeed Neige Sinno, the winner of the 2023 Prix Goncourt des Lycéens with her novel “Triste Tigre” published by éditions P.O.L.
*The Prix Goncourt des Lycéens cannot be awarded to the same person twice. Since Gaël Faye and Carole Martinez already won the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens in 2016 and 2011, they are not included in the list.
