ORLANDO, Fla. - Aug. 12, 2026 - PRLog -- The Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) is proud to announce the finalists for its 2026 Awards Season, recognizing outstanding books by MWSA member authors across a broad range of literary genres.
This year's finalists represent works ranging from historical fiction and military history to memoir, thrillers, children's books, science fiction, poetry, romance, and leadership.
Each finalist has earned an MWSA medal. The individual Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal designations will be announced during MWSA's Annual Membership Conference and Awards Banquet, October 22–24, 2026, in Orlando, Florida.
2026 MWSA Awards Season Finalists Anthology/Collection
Unbreaking the Circle - Stories of Service — SouthWest Writers, Dan Wetmore (contributor and editor)
Chapter Book
Stronger Together — A.L. Zeine
Historical Fiction
A Gamble on Liberty — Robert W Smith
Both Sides of the Pond, My Family's War: 1933-1946 — Barbara Kent Lawrence
Codename: Parsifal — Martin Roy Hill
Hatfield 1677 — Laura C. Rader
Perilous Shores — Thomas M. Wing
Sheltering Angel of Belleau Wood — Louella Bryant
The Mapmaker: A Novel of World War II — Tom Young
The Tide Waits for No Woman — Richard K Perkins
When Heroes Flew: Black Thursday — H. W. "Buzz" Bernard
History
Forged in Fire: Grief, Purpose, and Devotion of a Woman at War — Robert L. Gangwere
Hill 119, Defending a Reconnaissance Marines' OP, Vietnam 1969-70 — Colonel Michael O Fallon USMC (Ret)
Images of America Grand County — Penny Rafferty Hamilton, Ph.D.
On Board the USS Boise in World War II: The Battles and Secret Missions of Light Cruiser CL-47 — Ian S. Bertram
Sirens in the Loop - A History of the City News Bureau of Chicago — Paul Zimbrakos / James Elsener
Horror/Fantasy/Sci Fi
Guard in the Garden — Z.S. Diamanti
Seeker — Glenn S. Robertson
How to/Business/Self Help
College Finances for Military Families — Kate Horrell
Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Checklist — Captain Steven J. Craig, USCGR Retired
Helm & Horizon: Daily Leadership Principles for the Motivated Sailor — Steven-Paul Lapid, USN (Ret.)
Leadership is Tough: Skills. Decisions. Disciplines. What Great Leaders Do Differently — Mary Kelly and Peter Stark
Learning to Live from Those Willing to Die — David E. Grogan
New Mission: Your Career Transition — Walter Nowocin
The Art of Leadership — David Ocheltree
The Four Stars of Leadership: Scientifically-Derived Principles from the Experiences of America's Highest-Ranking Leaders — Tom Collins, MD, MS
Literary Fiction
Always On My Mind — Bob Every
The Whispers of War — Sarah L. Peachey
Memoir/Biography
Broken Destiny: The story of Sergeant William M. O'Loughlin, United States Army Air Force — Mark Verwiel & Mario Acevedo
Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage — Heather Sweeney
Colored Pebbles — Del Staecker
Crazyhorse: Flying Apache Attack Helicopters with the 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq, 2006–2007 — Daniel M McClinton
Disgracefully Easy: A B-24 Pilot's Letters Home — William Hanchett with Thomas F. Hanchett
Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran's Iliad — Josh Cannon
Fugitive Son — Aramis Calderon
Grunt 0311 Reflections of a Marine Rifleman — George P Berg
I'm Alive: A Young Fighter Pilot's Diary of the US Navy Air War in Vietnam, 1964 to 1965 — Errol F. Reilly; Kevin Callahan; Christopher P. Callahan
Jungle Ghosts: Walking Point in Vietnam — Ed Mann
Kick the Tires and Light the Fires: My Life as a Naval Aviator, FAA Test Pilot & Aviation Consultant — David Paul West with Ron Martz
Knowing My Father: The Collision of the OB Jennings and War Knight — Col. Joseph R. Tedeschi, US Army (Ret)
Pig Fat Soup: How I Survived My USS Pueblo Prisoner of War Journey — Steven Woelk, Robert Lofthouse
Scattered, Smothered, and Covered: A Memoir of Resilience — Sandra Tow
The Legacy of the Twins Platoon — Christy Sauro Jr
The Resurrected Pirate: The Life, Death, and Subsequent Career of the Notorious George Lowther — Craig S. Chapman
Unlearning What Worked — Matthew West-James
Waiting at the Red Gate — Weston Roudebush
Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Arctic Red — James Bultema
Assassin's Mace, A Jake Palmer Novel — Ron McManus
Dances with Arrows — Steve Stratton
Home for the Homicides — Rosalie Spielman
Invaders of the Heartland — James Bultema
Jones Point — Sean Hagerty
Project Darkheart: a Black Spear novel — Benjamin Spada
Sacred Plunder — Phillip Daigle
Savage Remorse — Macklin Grey
Soulless — Joseph Badal
Stealing Stealth — Brian L. Reece
Target Kyiv — J. M. Taylor
Task Force Thunderbolt — Galen D. Peterson
The Big Bad — Brad Huestis
The Gotland Deception — James Rosone
The Organization: Operative Nova — Daniel C. Davis
The Suwalki Crisis — James Rosone
The Vatican Deal — Michael Balter
Pictorial/Coffee Table
Raiding the Rising Sun: The Doolittle Raid-America Strikes Back; An Illustrated Day-By-Day Account — Dan Steelman
Picture Book
George Eaton's Odd Granny (Rode a Pig Home Yesterday) — Nancy Panko
Veteran Adventure Stories: Charlie Plumb — Stephanie Hennessy
I Remember You: Between memory and silence, a voice remains — Patrick J Hughes
Religious/Spiritual
Coherent Chaos: The Unity Paradox... — A. Quinn Stanley, Ph.D.
Romance
Into The Mist — L.K. Aldrich
Viking — Brilee Scott
Where There's Smoke: A Texas Love Story — Rees Walther
Young Adult (fiction or non-fiction)
Along the Trail — Kaci Curtis
Hilo Dome — Jack Bartley
About the MWSA Awards
The Military Writers Society of America's awards program recognizes excellence in literature and the arts by MWSA members, including veterans, military family members, and writers whose work reflects military service, history, or the broader military experience.
The 2026 finalists will receive their individual Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal designations during MWSA's Annual Membership Conference and Awards Banquet, October 22–24, 2026, in Orlando, Florida.
For the complete 2026 season information, book summaries, reviews, and awards information, visit the MWSA 2026 Awards Season page.
Watch the 2026 Finalists Announcement
MWSA also announced this year's finalists in a special video presentation. Watch the 2026 MWSA Awards Season Finalists Announcement on YouTube:
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