English - Syracuse University Library

Gateways sites:

Bookwire Links to pages for particular awards, past and present. Includes Pulitzer prize for the Novel/Fiction, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award.

British Literary Prizes Information on most important British literary awards, with chronologically arranged lists of winners.

Literature Awards Winners Information on literary awards of all types. One of the most comprehensive, well-designed gateway sites.

Specific literary prizes:

American Book Award "The American Book Awards, established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation, recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background or genre."

Booker Prize "The prize aims to reward the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland."

Edgar Allan Poe Award Presented by Mystery Writers of America to the best books, short stories, television shows, films, and plays in this genre.

National Book Awards "Awards are given to recognize achievements in four genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature."

National Book Critics Circle Awards Annual awards for the "finest books published in English" in the following categories: fiction, general nonfiction, biography and autobiography, poetry, and criticism.

Nobel Prize in Literature "Literature is one of the five prize areas mentioned in Alfred Nobel's will. . . . Nobel simply stated that prizes be given to . . .the person who 'shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.'"

Orange Prize for Fiction One of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, awarded annually for the best original full-length novel by a female author of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK in the preceding year.

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction "Annual national prize for the best work of fiction by an American author"

Pulitzer Prize Awarded annually to an American novel, poetry collection, and an original American play performed in New York, among other categories.

Costa (formerly Whitbread) "One of the longest-running and most prestigious book awards in the UK." There are five category awards (Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's) and, from these, one overall winner

Children's literature:

Children's Book Awards "The most comprehensive guide to English-language children's book awards on the Internet."

ASPCA Henry Bergh Children's Book Award for Excellence in Humane Literature "The award was established to honor books that promote the humane ethic of compassion and respect for all living things."

Randolph Caldecott Medal "The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. "

Coretta Scott King Award "Presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table. Recipients are authors and illustrators of African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the "American Dream.""

Hans Christian Andersen Awards "Presented every even numbered year, in March, to an author and an illustrator, living at the time of the nomination, whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature by the International Board on Books for Young People."

Newbery Medal Home page "The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children"

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction "The annual award of $5,000 goes to a meritorious book published in the previous year for children or young adults. Scott O'Dell established this award to encourage other writers--particularly new authors--to focus on historical fiction. He hoped in this way to increase the interest of young readers in the historical background that has helped to shape their country and their world. "

Michael L. Printz Award "The Michael L. Printz Award, established in 1999, honors excellence in literature written for young adults. . . . The award-winning book may be fiction, nonfiction, poetry or an anthology and can be a work of joint authorship or editorship."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal "Administered by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award was first given to its namesake in 1954. The award, a bronze medal, honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children."

Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror:

Arthur C. Clarke Award "Awarded every year to the best science fiction novel which received its first British publication during the previous calendar year."

Philip K. Dick Awards "The Philip K. Dick Awards, for distinguished science fiction books published for the first time in the United States as a paperback original, were founded by Thomas M. Disch, who was inspired to do so at the Norwescon following Philip K. Dick's death at the age of 53 in 1982."

Hugo Awards Determined by nominations from and a popular vote of the membership of the World Science Fiction Society. Numerous categories including novel, novella, short story, professional editor, web site, fanzine, etc.

Nebula Awards Members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America vote annually on the best novel, novella, novelette, short story, and film script.

Sidewise Awards for Alternate History "The award takes its name from Murray Leinster's 1934 short story "Sidewise In Time", in which a strange storm causes portions of Earth to swap places with their analogs from other timelines."

Southeastern Science Fiction Achievement Award "The Southeastern Science Fiction Achievement Award (the SESFA) is a new annual award designed to honor accomplishment in science fiction, fantasy or horror (SF/F/H) to individuals born or living (or who died) in the Southeastern United States."

Bram Stoker Awards Active members of the Horror Writers Association vote on the best of the year in the following categories: Novel, First Novel, Short Fiction, Long Fiction, Fiction Collection, Poetry Collection, Anthology, Nonfiction, Illustrated Narrative, Screenplay, Work for Young Readers, and Alternative Forms. "In addition, Lifetime Achievement Stokers are occasionally presented to individuals whose entire body of work has substantially influenced Horror."

Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic "Presented annually to a Canadian writer who has had published a speculative fiction novel or book-length collection of speculative fiction any time during the previous calendar year. Named after the first novel by Phyllis Gotlieb, one of the first published authors of contemporary Canadian science fiction. . . ."

James Tiptree, Jr. Award "Annual literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender."