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If you’re an avid reader, you person astir apt seen awards logos stamped connected the covers of books. Maybe you’re adjacent 1 of those readers who await the agelong and shortlists of prize nominees, hoping to past bargain oregon get the books. But isolated from their names and the wide categories and genres they cover, however overmuch bash you truly cognize astir each these publication awards?
I ever took them for granted, assuming respectability owed to their reputations. But there’s much to them than conscionable their longlists and winners, successful fact, galore of these awards person inheritance stories that acceptable them squarely into publication history. Often, these prize competitions person a agelong past of awarding excellence — the Pulitzers person been astir since 1917, the National Book Award since 1950, and the Booker since 1969.
In this usher to large bookish awards, I tried to springiness you a short-but-detailed rundown of each. Alongside the basal humanities background, I besides provided categories, submission process basics, and nominee information timelines.
The Pulitzer Prizes
The Pulitzers were established successful 1917 acknowledgment to an endowment to Columbia University by paper proprietor Joseph Pulitzer. Pulitzer published The New York World and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and helium wanted the newspapers to beryllium seen arsenic credible sources of information; the Prize’s History Page explains that helium was the archetypal to dictate that journalists should beryllium trained astatine a assemblage level.
The awards, fixed retired by Columbia University, are divided into 4 large categories, including Journalism, Books, Music and Drama, Special Citations, and past divided into smaller ones specified arsenic journalism’s Investigative Reporting, Feature Photography, Breaking News Reporting, etc. There are 21 full categories and the Pulitzers prioritize penning by Americans and/or astir American-focused topics. Also, to beryllium considered, authors request to participate their ain enactment into the competition.
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GENERAL
The Booker Prize
Once upon a time, this was known arsenic The Man Booker Prize, but that was altered successful 2019 aft Man Group PLC, an concern absorption firm, passed sponsorship connected to the charitable instauration Crankstart. Now it’s simply the Booker Prize, and nary substance its name, this is 1 of the big ones. Judges determine connected “the champion sustained enactment of fabrication written successful English and published successful the UK and Ireland,” and the grant guarantees the long-and-shortlist nominees volition each spot a bump successful sales. As anyone moving successful books tin archer you, that is not hyperbole. Past winners see V.S. Naipaul, Hilary Mantel, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Iris Murdoch, Ali Smith, Kazuo Ishiguro, and many, galore much — aft all, this contention has tally since 1969.
The International Booker Prize
The Booker Prize is not an lone kid successful this respected bookish grant guide; it has a sibling successful The International Booker Prize. Begun successful 2005 arsenic the Man Booker International Prize, this grant has shifted much than conscionable its name. From 2005-2015, it was a bi-annual prize that awarded authors for their acclaimed wide literate output. Since 2015, however, it gets awarded annually and covers lone 1 rubric — a publication that is written successful different connection and translated into English.
National Book Critics Circle Award
The NBCC began successful 1974 astatine the Algonquin Hotel successful New York City. The founding members, John Leonard, Nona Balakian, and Ivan Sandrof, were inspired by the conception of the Algonquin circular array and wanted to animate literate conversations. Now who are these nationalist publication critics judging the competition? According to the NBCC, they “serve astir 800 subordinate critics, authors, literate bloggers, publication publishing professionals, pupil members, and friends. Membership is unfastened to freelance and unit publication reviewers, subordinate nonvoting members, pupil members, and friends.”
Announced each March, the National Book Critics Circle awards observe works published successful the United States. There are six categories — autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, nonfiction, and poesy — and aggregate accomplishment awards, specified arsenic the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence successful Reviewing, the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Toni Morrison Achievement Award.
National Book Awards
This grant is presented by the National Book Foundation, a radical that celebrates American lit portion besides hoping to make buzz and excitement astir the taxable of reading. The National Book Awards were founded successful 1950 astatine a literate star-studded gala held astatine New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
So how does 1 taxable a book? Submissions unfastened each March and to beryllium considered for their awards for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature, the enactment “must beryllium written by an American national oregon approved via the petition process. For the Translated Literature Award, neither writer nor translator is required to beryllium U.S. citizens.” Then, aft a summertime play of judges speechmaking galore a submission, the longlist is announced successful September and the victor is chosen successful October.
Women’s Prize for Fiction
Another 1 that underwent a sanction alteration successful the past fewer years. This was the Orange Prize for Fiction betwixt 1996-2012 and the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction betwixt 2014 -2017. The Women’s Prize Trust provides a fig of precise indispensable enactment for women successful the arts, including done producing improvement programmes and penning workshops. Judged exclusively by women and created successful response to the Booker Prize contention of 1991, a twelvemonth “when nary of the six shortlisted books was by a woman, contempt immoderate 60% of novels published that twelvemonth being by pistillate authors.”
The longlist for 2023 was announced successful March, the shortlist announced successful precocious April, and the victor volition beryllium announced connected June 14. The books tin beryllium chosen from the works of pistillate authors anyplace successful the satellite arsenic they are allowed to beryllium translated from languages different than English.
PEN America Awards
PEN America is an enactment with the ngo to “unite writers and their allies to observe originative look and support the liberties that marque it possible.” Their rank is made up of implicit “7,500 novelists, journalists, nonfiction writers, editors, poets, essayists, playwrights, publishers, translators, agents, and different penning professionals, arsenic good arsenic devoted readers and supporters.” The enactment does immoderate astonishing enactment connected intelligence state and creator freedom, truthful cheque retired their story. They besides person created the Online Harassment Field Manual, a precise utile tool.
Since 1963, the PEN America Literary Awards person celebrated authors successful the fields of translation, fiction, poetry, subject writing, essay, sports writing, biography, children’s literature, and drama. They person 20 awards, each listed here, including the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. Book submissions unfastened successful summer, are work successful the fall, and nominees and the eventual winners are announced successful the winter. Then determination is simply a shindig to celebrate.
GONE but not forgotten
The Costa Book Awards
Formerly known arsenic The Whitbread Book Awards, they ran nether that sanction from 1971-2006. The sanction came from the Whitbread Breweries, their sponsors, and the judging was done the Booksellers Association of Great Britain and Ireland. Costa, a large java concatenation successful the UK, took implicit successful 2006 and the contention was renamed the Costa Book Awards. Five prizes were distributed each twelvemonth — Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Biography, Best Book of Poems, and Best Children’s Book. Authors who had lived successful Great Britain oregon Ireland for implicit 3 years were eligible and the grant was 1 of the highest paying for prizes. Unfortunately, the Costa Book Awards ended for bully aft the 2021-2022 season.
Genre Writing
The Edgars (Mysteries and Crime)
Presented by the Mystery Writers of America, this prize is named for Edgar Allen Poe and covers mysteries and transgression writing. The Mystery Writers of America radical was formed successful 1945 and the Edgar Awards person existed since that time; since 1946, the Edgar Awards person been announced astatine a prestigious meal enactment successful New York City.
To win, the enactment indispensable beryllium submitted by the steadfast oregon shaper and the writer of the enactment indispensable person an progressive rank astatine the time. This is 1 of the bigger awards, with categories including Best Novel, Best Fact Crime, Best Short Story, Best Original/Ebook category, Best Juvenile Mystery, Best Young Adult Mystery, Best Television Series Episode Teleplay, arsenic good arsenic immoderate awards successful concern with circumstantial authors.
The Hugo Award (Science Fiction)
According to The Hugo’s biographical page, they are the most prestigious subject fabrication award. Unlike galore of the different awards listed, this isn’t made up purely of authors oregon critics. Any funny scholar tin motion up to be WorldCon and beryllium granted the close to vote. Nominees are selected by members of the World Science Fiction Convention, and the grant was archetypal presented successful 1953. Anyone tin beryllium nominated, and works successful different languages volition beryllium considered arsenic agelong arsenic their English translation is wrong the archetypal twelvemonth of publication.
Nominees are chosen betwixt January and March and past the shortlist is announced successful April. The winners are announced astatine WorldCon successful July. The categories see Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novelette, Best Short Story, Best Series, Best Graphic Story oregon Comic, Best Related Work, Best Dramatic Presentation, and more.
Bram Stoker Awards (Horror)
This prize is bestowed annually upon the spookiest books recognized by the Horror Writers Association, a radical of writers of fearfulness and acheronian fantasy. Since the award’s founding successful 1987, these authors person recognized books successful categories similar Super Achievement successful a Novel, Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Long and Short Fiction, Anthologies, and galore others. Plus, their trophy is the champion aesthetically, moulded successful the signifier of a fantastically elaborate haunted location implicit with gargoyles.
Eisner Awards (Comics)
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are the astir respected awards of the comic publication industry; since 1985, the awards person taken spot astatine Comic-Con International: San Diego. During the earlier years, this was during league programs, but successful the 1990s it became its ain large Friday nighttime solemnisation — primitively with a banquet but yet becoming much of a gala. Each year, judges take immoderate creators to beryllium automatically entered into their hallway of fame. Another 4 creators are selected retired of an further 16 nominees. After each that, winners are added to the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame. Enthusiastic comic fans tin registry to go voters and instrumentality portion successful the competition.
INDIES
Best Indie Book Award
This contention is afloat centred astir works from tiny presses, ebook publishers, and self-published authors. While nominated books tin beryllium from anyplace successful the world, the existent submitted enactment does request to person been written successful English. There is simply a agelong database of categories to taxable to, including but decidedly not constricted to Action/Adventure, Fantasy/Paranormal/Supernatural, Historical Fiction, Humor/Satire, LGBTQ2, Mainstream/Non-Genre/Literary Fiction, Nonfiction-Cooking, and galore others that you tin spot here.
The International Rubery Book Prize
The Rubery Book Prize is an planetary publication grant enactment that aims to supply indie authors with their ain Booker-Prize-esque award. They judge publication and ebook submissions crossed each genres and topics and with nary circumstantial work clip restriction. Authors are asked to fto the judges cognize which class they would similar to vie in, past the publication is judged wrong its category. In the last round, the Book of the Year is chosen from crossed each the class winners. That last determination is usually announced successful July. Learn much astir the prize astatine their site.
I anticipation that this premix of publication grant competitions gives you immoderate speechmaking ideas for your adjacent sojourn to your section room oregon bookshop. Hopefully, speechmaking astir them connects you much in-depth with publication past and helps successful uncovering caller beloved authors.
English (US) ·