On April 19, 2025, a jury of 10 university students announced Madelaine avant l’aube by Sandrine Collette as the winner of the fourth US Goncourt Prize Selection. Hosted at Villa Albertine in New York City, the award ceremony resulted from months of study and debate conducted by students at 10 American universities including the University of Illinois. This year, participating universities were Columbia University, Duke University, Harvard University, New York University, Princeton University, University of California Los Angeles, University of Florida, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Southern California, and Yale University.
Students from the Illinois course FR 322 elected Michael Leemans (class of 2025, minor in French) as their representative on the US jury. In FR 322, taught by Professor François Proulx, undergraduate students read, analyzed and debated in French all four books shortlisted for the 2024 Prix Goncourt.
The Prix Goncourt is considered one of France’s most prestigious literary prizes. International Goncourt Prize Selections – selected by university students in 40 countries – are a global literary gauge, measuring how the shortlist for the Prix Goncourt resonates with many younger audiences around the world. The US prize, now in its fourth year, is organized and funded by Villa Albertine, in partnership with the Académie Goncourt and universities from the French Embassy’s Centers of Excellence network.
This year’s winner, Sandrine Collette, is a French author as well as a professor of philosophy and literature. Madelaine avant l’aube tells the story of three women, Ambre, Aelis, and the elderly Rose, who live in the remote hamlet of Les Montées and survive by working land that is not theirs. Their routine is upended by the arrival of Madelaine, an orphaned child emerging from the forest. Taken in by the community, she captivates with her energy and boldness, yet a troubling spark glows in her eyes — the sign of a brewing rebellion. The book will soon be published in the US by Europa Editions.
The 2025 US Goncourt Prize was awarded by a jury of 10 students who described the selection process selection as an “enriching experience filled with intense debates and rarely unanimous exchanges — which made it all the more engaging. Meeting students from other universities, with diverse backgrounds, was truly stimulating. We were proud to give a voice to American universities and to have an impact on the literary world in both France and the United States.”