List of literary awards

This list of literary awards from around the world is an index to articles about notable literary awards.

International awards

All nationalities and multiple languages eligible

Nobel Prize in Literature – since 1901
Hugo Award – since 1953
Poetry Evenings – since 1966
Neustadt International Prize for Literature – since 1970
International Botev Prize – since 1972
Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year – since 1978
Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service – since 1979
America Award – since 1994
Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award – since 1997
Franz Kafka Prize – since 2001
Ovid Prize – since 2002
Dayton Literary Peace Prize – since 2006
European Union Prize for Literature – since 2009
Jan Michalski Prize – since 2009
The Paris Literary Prize – since 2010
KONS International Literary Award – since 2011
Grand Prix of Literary Associations – since 2013
Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award – since 2013
Europese Literatuurprijs – since 2011
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award – since 2003

Awards by language

Arabic

Bengali

Chinese

English

German

Georg Büchner Prize – for the overall literary oeuvre
Sigmund Freud Prize – for scientific prose
German Book Prize – for the best German language novel of the year
Leipzig Book Fair Prize – in three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and translation
Ingeborg Bachmann Prize
Aspekte-Literaturpreis – for the best debut novel written in German
Kleist Prize – first awarded in 1912
Merano Poetry Prize – established in 1993 for poetry
International Literature Award - established in 2009 for international prose translated into German

Gujarati

Hebrew

Italian

Kannada

Malayalam

Marathi

Vinda Karandikar Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar

Meitei (Manipuri)

Odia

Odisha Sahitya Academy Award

Polish

Portuguese

Spanish

Miguel de Cervantes Prize
Rómulo Gallegos Prize
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize – female authors
Premio Planeta
Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja
Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa – since 2007
Fiction Prize

Tamil

Vishnupuram Award

Awards by region

African

Asian

Man Asian Literary Prize
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
SAARC Literary Award
Kiriyama Prize – for books about the Pacific Rim and South Asia; 1996–2008
Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Literature Award

Caribbean literature

Commonwealth

European Union

Nordic

Awards by country

[American literature]

[Australian literature]

ACT Book of the Year
Aurealis Award – awarded annually for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award – for unpublished manuscripts by writers under the age of 35
Chief Minister's Northern Territory Book History Awards
Miles Franklin Award – for the best Australian published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
Patrick White Award
Prime Minister's Literary Awards
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
South Australian Literary Awards
Tasmanian Premier's Literary Prizes
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards

[Austrian literature]

Bangladesh literature">Culture of Bengal">Bangladesh literature

Bangla Academy Award

Botswana literature">Culture of Botswana">Botswana literature

Bessie Head Literature Awards

[Brazilian literature]

[British literature]

Authors' Club Best First Novel Award
Baillie Gifford Prize
Betty Trask Prize and Awards
Booker Prize
British Book Awards – the "Nibbies"
Chancellor's Gold Medal
Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Dundee International Book Prize
Duff Cooper Prize
Forward Prizes for Poetry
Hawthornden Prize
International Rubery Book Award
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
Meyer-Whitworth Award
Newdigate Prize
Orwell Prize
PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize
SI Leeds Literary Prize
Somerset Maugham Award
T. S. Eliot Prize
Waverton Good Read Award
Women's Prize for Fiction
Costa Book Awards
Marsh Biography Award – awarded biennially for the best biography written by a British author first published in the UK during the two preceding years.
Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation – recognises the best translation of a children’s book from a foreign language into English and published in the UK.

[Bulgarian literature]

Vick Prize

[Canadian literature]

[Chilean literature]

Chilean National Prize for Literature

[Chinese literature]

[Ecuadorian literature]

[Estonian literature]

[Finnish literature]

Finlandia Prize for literature
Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize
Runeberg Prize for literature
Thanks for the Book Award for literature

[French literature]

Georgian literature">Georgia (country)">Georgian literature

Shota Rustaveli State Prize

[German literature]

Bertelsmann-Preisausschreiben
Bertolt-Brecht-Literaturpreis
Candide Preis – German-French literary award in memory of Voltaire's novella Candide – since 1995
Carl Zuckmayer Medal – annual literary prize awarded by the state of Rhineland Palatinate in memory of Carl Zuckmayer
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
Fontane Prize of the City of Neuruppin
German Book Prize – awarded annually during the Frankfurt Book Fair for the best German language novel of the year
Georg Büchner Prize – awarded annually by the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung in memory of Georg Büchner
Goethe Prize – awarded triennially by the city of Frankfurt in memory of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; since 1927
Hanseatic Goethe Prize
Heinrich Heine Prize
Hermann-Hesse-Preis
Hans Fallada Prize – biennial literary prize in memory of Hans Fallada
Heinrich Mann Prize
Hermann Kesten Medal
Ingeborg Bachmann Prize
Kassel Literary Prize
Kleist Prize
Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis – annual science fiction award in memory of Kurd Laßwitz, inspired by the American Nebula Award
Leipzig Book Fair Prize
Merck Kakehashi Literature Prize
Nelly Sachs Prize
Roswitha Prize
Schiller Memorial Prize
Toucan Prize

[Hungarian literature]

Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award – for poets and translators; since 1997
Baumgarten Prize
Kossuth Prize

[Icelandic literature]

Icelandic Literary Prize

[Indian literature]

[Indonesian literature]

Jakarta Arts Council Novel Competition

[Iranian literature]

[Irish literature]

[Israeli literature]

[Italian literature]

[Japanese literature]

[Luxembourgian literature]

[Malaysian literature]

[Mexican literature]

[Nepalese Literature]

Madan Puraskar

[New Zealand literature]

Esther Glen Award – for children's literature
Joy Cowley Award – for children's literature
Sir Julius Vogel Award – for science fiction and fantasy
New Zealand Post Book Awards
Ngaio Marsh Award
Margaret Mahy Award
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement

[Nigerian literature]

[Norwegian literature]

[Philippine literature]

[Polish literature]

[Portuguese literature]

Prémio Camões

[Russian literature]

[Serbian literature]

[Singaporean literature]

[Slovene literature]

[South African literature]

[South Korean literature]

[Spanish literature]

[Sri Lankan literature]

[Swedish literature]

Augustpriset
De Nios Stora Pris
Best Swedish Crime Novel Award – awarded by Swedish Crime Writers' Academy

[Swiss literature]

[Thai literature]

[Turkish literature]

Ukrainian literature

Shevchenko National Prize – since 1961

Venezuelan literature

Adriano González León Biennial Novel Prize

Zimbabwean literature

National Arts Merit Awards

Awards by genres

[Children's literature]

Newbery Medal and Newbery Honor – since 1922
Carnegie Medal – since 1936
Caldecott Medal and Caldecott Honor for illustration – since 1938
Children's Book Council of Australia Awards – since 1946
Governor General's Award for English language children's literature – since 1949
Jane Addams Children's Book Award – since 1953
Children's Literature Legacy Award – since 1954, formerly the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
Hans Christian Andersen Award – since 1956
Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration – since 1956
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis – since 1956
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award – since 1957
Nienke van Hichtum-prijs – since 1964
Guardian Award – since 1967
Sydney Taylor Book Award for Jewish children's and teen literature – since 1968
Coretta Scott King Award for African-American Literature – since 1970
Tir na n-Og Awards – since 1976
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize – 1985–2007
Prix Sorcières – since 1986
Governor General's Award for French language children's literature – since 1987
KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards – since 1990
Gelett burgess children's book award – since 2010
Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature – since 1991
The Eilis Dillon Award – since 1995
Angus Book Award – since 1996
Pura Belpré Award for Latino literature – since 1996
Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation – since 1996
Children's Laureate – since 1999
Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature – since 2000
Sibert Medal for informational books – since 2001
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Super Dash Novel Rookie of the Year Award – since 2001
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award – since 2003
NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature – since 2003

Food and drink

Langhe Ceretto Prize – since 1991

[History]

Cundill History Prize for historical non-fiction – since 2008
Duff Cooper Prize — since 1956
Wolfson History Prize – since 1972

[Horror fiction]

Bram Stoker Award – for superior achievement in horror writing, since 1987
Shirley Jackson Award – for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and the dark fantastic, since 2007.
Lord Ruthven Award – for the best fiction on vampires and the best academic work on the study of the vampire figure in culture and literature – since 1989

[Military fiction] and [military history]

Colby Award for a first work of fiction or nonfiction – since 1999
Pritzker Military Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing – since 2007
W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction – since 1997

Mystery">Mystery fiction">Mystery: [crime fiction] and [detective fiction]

Romance fiction">Romance novel">Romance fiction

[Speculative fiction] ([science fiction] and [fantasy])

Hugo Award – since 1955
Nebula Award – since 1965
Ditmar Award – since 1969
BSFA award – since 1970
Seiun Award – since 1970
Locus Award – since 1971
Mythopoeic Awards – awards for the best of mythic fantasy, following in the tradition of J. R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis – since 1971
Prix Tour-Apollo Award – since 1972
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel – since 1973
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction – since 1973
World Fantasy Award – since 1975
Paul Harland Prize – since 1976
Prometheus Award – best Libertarian SF – since 1979
Nihon SF Taisho Award – since 1980
Prix Aurora Award – since 1980
Prix Rosny-Aîné – since 1980
Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis – since 1981
Philip K. Dick Award – since 1982
Compton Crook Award – best first-time novel in genre in a year, since 1983
Janusz A. Zajdel Award – since 1984
Writers of the Future – contest for new authors, since 1985
Tähtivaeltaja Award – since 1986
Arthur C. Clarke Award – since 1987
Japan Fantasy Novel Award – since 1989
Sir Julius Vogel Award – since 1989
Urania Award – since 1989
SFRA Pioneer Award – best critical essay-length work, since 1990
Tiptree award – since 1991
Chandler Award – since 1992
Sidewise Award for Alternate History – since 1995
Aurealis Award – since 1995
Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service – promotion of SF teaching and study, etc., since 1996
Endeavour Award – since 1999
Nautilus Award – since 2003
WSFA Small Press Award – since 2007
Tähtifantasia Award – since 2007
Kitschies – since 2009
Nommo Awards – since 2016
Ignyte Awards – since 2020

[Sports]

General

Baseball

[Biography]

Marsh Biography Award – awarded biennially for the best biography written by a British author and first published in the UK during the two preceding years.

Awards by identity

These awards include those given to authors of a specific identity or community, or works centering related characters or themes.

Disability

Barbellion Prize – English works by writers with chronic illness or disability
Kenny Fries Disabled Writer Literary Award – disabled or deaf writers
Disability History Association's Outstanding Publication Award – works about disability history
Schneider Family Book Award – children's and YA works portraying disability

Gender

Carol Shields Prize for Fiction – works by women or non-binary authors
Rose Mary Crawshay Prize – works about English literature, written by women
Barbara Jefferis Award – works that represent women or girls positively, by Australian writers
Chommanard Book Prize – works by women from ASEAN countries or China or Taiwan
Davitt Award – crime fiction by Australian women
Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Literature – works about transgender people and themes
Leslie Feinberg Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature – works by trans and gender-nonconforming writers
Lulu Awards – women in comics and works recognizing comics by or for women
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize – works by American women
Marian Engel Award – Canadian women novelists
Murasaki Shikibu Prize – Japanese works by women
Otherwise Award – works expanding the concept of gender
Nita Kibble Literary Award – works by Australian women
Pat Lowther Award – poetry books by women and non-binary writers
Rapallo Carige Prize – works by emerging women writers
Roswitha Prize – women writers of German works
Sense of Gender Awards – works expanding the concept of gender
SI Leeds Literary Prize – unpublished works by UK Black and Asian women and womxn
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize – Spanish works by women
Stella Prize – works by Australian women and non-binary writers
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize – English plays by women+ writers
Warwick Prize for Women in Translation – works by women that have been translated into English
Women's Prize for Fiction – English novels by women
Women's Prize for Non-Fiction – English works by women

LGBTQ+

Alice B Readers Awards – writers of lesbian fiction
Bisexual Book Awards – works of bisexual literature
Blue Metropolis Violet Prize – established LGBTQ writers
Dayne Ogilvie Prize – emerging LGBTQ writers
Gaylactic Spectrum Awards – – works of speculative fiction by North American authors
Goldie Awards – works of sapphic literature
Lambda Literary Awards – English works on LGBTQ themes
Publishing Triangle Awards – English works on LGBTQ themes
Rainbow Awards – LGBTQ works by Indian authors
Ruth Benedict Prize – anthropology works on LGBT topics
Stonewall Book Awards – originally the Gay Book Award

Miscellaneous

Goodreads Choice Awards

Awards for literary translation

Gregory Kolovakos Award – PEN America : U.S. literary translator, editor, or critic whose work... extends Gregory Kolovakos's commitment to the richness of Hispanic literature and to expanding its English-language audience
PEN Translation Prize – awarded annually for a translation from any language into English.
Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize – awarded annually for a book-length translation from any language into English.
Rossica Translation Prize – awarded biennially by Academia Rossica to a translation from Russian into English.
National Book Award for Translated Literature – awarded annually for a fiction or non-fiction translation from any language into English by the National Book Award
National Translation Award – annual prize awarded by the American Literary Translators Association
Popescu Prize – awarded biennially for a translation of poetry from a European language into English. Awarded by the Poetry Society.
Willis Barnstone Translation Prize – annually awarded to a translation of a poem from any language into English.
Scott Moncrieff Prize – awarded annually for French to English translation.
Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation – awarded annually for Arabic to English literary translation.
Sol Plaatje Prize for Translation – awarded for a translation of prose or poetry into English from any other of the South African official languages.
Rossica Young Translators Prize – open to submissions from translators aged under 25, awarded annually for the translation of a passage of contemporary fiction from Russian into English.
Harvill Secker Young Translators Prize – open to submissions from translators aged between 18 and 34, awarded annually, focusing on a different language every year.
International Dublin Literary Award – since 1996
Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize – since 1996
Warwick Prize for Women in Translation

Awards for literary criticism

Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing – awarded annually for literary criticism as one of the National Book Critics Circle Awards.
Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism – awarded annually for literary criticism by the University of Iowa on behalf of the Truman Capote Literary Trust.
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Literary Criticism – awarded to Malayalam language literary criticism, as a category of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award