Literary Awards

The History of Literary Awards

Literary awards began springing up in the early 20th century. They rapidly grew in popularity after the Nobel Prizes were first awarded in 1901. In 1895, Alfred Nobel established the idea for the Nobel Prize for Literature, among other subjects. Its intent was to determine and honor an author with exceptional quality in the work they produced throughout their lifetime.

Discussions began in the 19th and 20th centuries regarding distinguishing popular literature from quality literature. While many novels and stories sold well and appealed to the general public, this did not mean the writing had literary merit. Literary awards were devised for a wide variety of genres to promote and appreciate quality works and talented writers.

Today, literary awards provide a public platform for the appreciation of writers and their words. Literary prizes help authors gain recognition and provide them with financial support to continue their work. Literary prizes have become associated with a sense of exclusivity, excellence, and honor. They are often quite difficult to attain, providing goals for established and aspiring writers alike.

Most Prestigious Literary Awards

There are hundreds of different literary awards, each with its own significance. However, certain awards have considerably more pull than others because of their longstanding and highly prestigious nature. These awards include the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Booker Prize, the Neustadt International Prize For Literature, and The PEN America Literary Awards.

The Nobel Prize in Literature

The Nobel Prize in Literature is given to one author per year. This author can be from any country but must have produced outstanding work in the field of literature. The prize can be awarded for a particular piece of work or for the author's overall body of work. Each Nobel Prize in Literature winner receives a gold medal, a diploma, and about $1 million!

Fig. 1 - The Nobel Prize was created in 1901 by the famous Swedish scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur, Alfred Nobel.

Famous winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature include:

• Bob Dylan (2016)
• Seamus Heaney (1995)
• Toni Morrison (1993)
• Gabriel García Márquez (1982)
• Ernest Hemingway (1954)
• William Faulkner (1949)
• George Bernard Shaw (1925)

The Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize was created in 1917 by a wealthy newspaper publisher named Joseph Pulitzer. There are 22 Pulitzer Prizes distributed per year in different subjects among journalism and the arts. The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, previously known as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, is awarded to an American author who published a recent fiction novel that represents American life. Award winners are given the Prize through Columbia University and receive a certificate and a $15,000 cash prize.

Award winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction include:

• Toni Morrison (1988) for Beloved (1987)
• Alice Walker (1893) for The Color Purple (1982)
• Harper Lee (1961) for To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
• William Faulkner (1955) for A Fable (1954)
• Ernest Hemingway (1953) for The Old Man and the Sea (1953)
• John Steinbeck (1940) for The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
• Margaret Mitchell (1937) for Gone with the Wind (1936)

The National Book Awards

The National Book Award was established in 1950 to celebrate the best American literature. The National Book Award Foundation assembles 25 distinguished writers and members of the literary field to judge the awards. Categories for National Book Awards include Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People's Literature. Winners receive $10,000 and a bronze sculpture.

Winners of the National Book Awards include:

• Louis Sachar (1998) for Holes (1998)
• Theodore Roethke (1965) for The Far Field (1964)
• Flannery O'Connor (1972) for The Complete Stories (1971)
• Joyce Carol Oates (1970) for Them (1970)

The Booker Prize

The Booker Prize, previously known as the Man Booker Prize, is a literary award for the best English novel of the year published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. The winner of the Booker Prize is selected by a panel and receives £50,000.

Recent award winners of the Booker Prize include:

• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (2020)
• The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (2019)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel (2002)

The Neustadt International Prize For Literature

The Neustadt International Prize for Literature was founded in 1969. It was created from an endowment from the America Neustadt family. The Neustadt International Prize for Literature awards $50,000, an eagle feather cast in silver, and a certificate to an author who has demonstrated excellence through written works of drama, poetry, or fiction.

Award winners of The Neustadt International Prize for Literature include:

• Edward Kamau Brathwaite (1994)
• Elizabeth Bishop (1976)
• Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1978)

The PEN America Literary Awards

The PEN America Literary Awards were founded in 1963. PEN America provides about $370,000 per year in awards, fellowships, grants, and prizes for writers and translators. PEN awards distribute over 20 awards spanning the genres of fiction, poetry, biography, drama, essay, and nonfiction writing.

Winners of the PEN America Literary Awards include:

• The Manga Artist (2019) by Doug Henderson
• Philip Roth (2006) for his body of work

Types of Literary Awards

There are numerous types of literary awards for different forms of writing, as well as for different genres, regions, cultures, and subject matter. There are also typically different literary awards for fiction vs. nonfiction works, such as literary criticism, politics, journalism, and historical writing.

There are literary awards specifically for women—most notably, the Women's Prize for Fiction. The Women's Prize for Fiction was established in 1992, awarding international women for best fiction writing. The selection panel for the prize is all female.

There are also genre-specific literary awards such as The Hugo Award, the highest award to science fiction writers.

Fig. 2 - J.K. Rowling won the 2001 Hugo Award for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000).

There are also regional types of literary awards. For example, the British Book Awards and the Costa Book Awards are for writers based in the U.K. and Ireland, while the National Book Award and the John Newbery Medal are specifically for American writers and literature.

List of Literary Awards

Below is an extended list of literary awards and a bit of information about them:

• Bancroft Prize—Columbia University's award for books about American history or diplomacy
• Bollinger Prize—Yale University award that honors an American poet
• Guggenheim Fellowship—awards grants to creatives and scholars who have shown exceptional creative abilities
• National Book Critics Circle Award—awards English books and reviews
• Newbery Medal—awards an author for distinguished contribution to American children's literature
• O. Henry Awards—awards the best English short stories published in the United States or Canada
• Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize—awards a living U.S. poet with $100,000 for their lifetime accomplishments
• Walter Scott Prize—a British literary award for historical fiction
• Walt Whitman Award—poetry award presented by the Academy of American Poets