Three novels, a media library, a ballot: this autumn, you are the jury for a literary prize! And the award ceremony will take place in front of a Goncourt Prize winner.
There's a delightful moment in a reader's life: the moment you close a book and think that someone else absolutely must read it. Usually, you mention it to a friend, lend the copy, and never see it again. This year, Trouville-sur-Mer is offering something better: transforming that enthusiasm into a literary prize. The town is launching its Readers' Choice Awardawarded at the Book Fair, on October 24 and 25, 2026. On the poster, a seagull by Savignac devours a novel: the program could not be better summarized.
A prize that rewards the second novel
Everyone eagerly awaits their first novel. It's celebrated, selected, and prizes are even created for it. The second novel, however, is a leap of faith: it's when an author ceases to be a promise and becomes a voice. It is precisely this moment that the Readers' Prize has chosen to celebrate, by awarding a second novel published within the year.
The jury has no assigned seat or restaurant: it's made up of you, Trouville readers or those just passing through. No press card required, no obligation to read everything in order. Just an opinion, and the desire to share it.
The three novels in contention
Frogby Sergei Shikalov (Le Seuil)
At the start of the war in Ukraine, a Russian film star flees and goes into exile in Paris. Thus begins a vertiginous fall into anonymity: who are you when no one recognizes you anymore, and what is left to salvage? After Dangerous speciesSergei Shikalov signs a second novel about exile and dignity that doesn't compromise on anything.
Encounter : Friday, August 21, at the L'Usage du Papier bookstore.
The dead lack decorumby Pauline Toulet (Finitude)
One Monday morning, a rather misanthropic narrator discovers that his visitor from the previous day hasn't left: he's dead in the living room, eyes wide open. From this unexpected turn of events arises a farcical investigation, led by an amateur detective who resembles Monsieur Hulot lost in an Agatha Christie novel. The humor is dark, dry, and perfectly controlled—ideal for a rainy Norman afternoon.
Meeting: Friday, September 11, at the L'Usage du Papier bookstore.
The Inhabitantsby Pauline Peyrade (Éditions de Minuit)
Emily lives alone with her dog Loyse in the house she inherited from her grandmother, nestled in a hamlet surrounded by wooded hills. Swimming in the pond, farm work, ritual walks: everything holds together, even the letters announcing the house's impending sale. Dogs, swallows, bees, and poplar trees inhabit the narrative as much as the humans. The novel received the 2026 Prix du Livre Inter.
Meeting: Friday, October 2nd, at the L'Usage du Papier bookstore.
How to vote?
Head to the media library of Trouville-sur-Mer to slip the name of your favorite into the ballot box, until Friday, October 23, 2026You will also find the three novels there, which elegantly settles the question of the reading budget before winter.
The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 24th.
The verdict will be delivered on Saturday, October 24th at 18:45 PM, at the Book Fair, from the hands of Laurent Mauvignier, winner of the 2025 Goncourt Prize and sponsor of this edition. A winner chosen by readers, a prize awarded by a Goncourt: it all comes full circle.
This will be one of the highlights of a weekend that, since 2002, has brought together around forty authors—novelists, essayists, biographers—each autumn for two days of roundtables, book signings, and an in-depth interview conducted by a journalist. The full program will be available soon: stay tuned.
Practical Info
- Vote : at the media library in Trouville-sur-Mer, until Friday, October 23, 2026.
- Award Ceremony : Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 18:45 p.m., at the Book Fair, by Laurent Mauvignier.
- Trouville-sur-Mer Book Fair Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2026. Free entry.
- Meetings with the authors : Fridays, August 21, September 11 and October 2, at the L'Usage du Papier bookstore.
- Organization : City of Trouville-sur-Mer, The Media Library, L'Usage du Papier Bookstore and Les Cures Marines.
Three novels, two months to read them, a voice to be reckoned with: the Queen of the Beaches has never asked for so little to offer so much. Get your bookmarks ready.
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