Literary Book Awards: A Breakdown of The Biggest and The Best
Who loves literary awards?!
They award the biggest, brightest, boldest and most beautiful books that enter the world of literature every year.
Do you look to literary awards to guide your reading journey? Or do you make your own path? Whether you trust the judgement of panels of authors, editors, publishers, celebrities (and more) or not, literary awards are a great way to find out about new authors, reads and to get a general sense of the modern literary landscape.
Take a look below at our
TOP 10 LITERARY BOOK AWARDS:
1 – The Booker Prize
THE BOOKER PRIZE
2021 Winner: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Picador, Pan Macmillan)
One of the most eagerly anticipated and prestigious literary awards around! The Booker Prize (previously known as the Booker Prize for Fiction) gives a yearly award to the best novel written in English (the book must be published in the United Kingdom or Ireland). The award is judged by a panel of seven professionals which consists of elite authors, literary agents, publishers and more!
The prize was established in 1969 and has been won by huge names such as Margaret Atwood, Richard Flanagan and Eleanor Catton. Being shortlisted or even longlisted for the award is a massive honour for many authors.
THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE
2021 Winner: At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop, Translated by Anna Moschovakis from French
This is a sister prize of the original booker prize. The International Booker Prize (announced in 2004) is awarded for a book translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
2 – Pulitzer Prize Winners
Genre/Categories: Journalism, Books, Music and Drama, Special Citations.
2021 Winners:
Fiction - The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (Harper)
Drama - The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall
History - Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain (Liveright/Norton)
Click here for the complete list of Pultizer Prize Winners
The Pulitzer Prize is an American literary award split into Three Main Categories, then split even further into sub-categories (twenty-one to be exact). The prizes are named after Joseph Pulitzer, a journalist who reshaped newspaper journalism in America during his lifetime.
Winners of the categories receive 15,000 USD and an impressive certificate. The Pulitzer Prizes are one of the only big awards that recognise journalism alongside fiction and other creative arts.
3 – The Edgar Awards
Genre/Categories: Mystery (Fiction, Non-fiction, Television, Film, and Theatre)
Famously named after the wonderful Edgar Allen Poe, the Edgar Awards are dedicated solely to books within the Mystery and Crime genre. This American award is presented by Mystery the Writers of America every year to numerous writers in separate subsections of the genre.
2021 Winners:
Best Novel - Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara (Penguin Random House – Random House)
Best First Novel - Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen (Simon & Schuster – Gallery Books)
Best Paperback Original - When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole (HarperCollins Publishers - William Morrow)
Click here for the complete list of The Edgar Award Winners
4 – Costa Book Awards
Genre/Categories: First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book
2020 Winners: The Mermaid of Black Conch: A Love Story by Monique Roffey (Book of the Year)
Did Costa coffee really start their own book awards?! Not quite.
The Whitbread Book Awards began in 1971. In 2006 Cost Coffee took over sponsorship. The Costa Book Awards awards are now one of the most prestigious book awards within the UK.
Winners for each of the five categories are selected from shortlists by five different panels of judges. Winners receive £5,000, although cheekily the prize requires a £5,000 fee from publishers if a book is to be shortlisted...
The overall winner from the five categories is awarded the grand title "Book of the Year", receiving a £30,000 prize for being the top dog.
5 – National Book Awards
Genre/Categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, Young People's Literature.
An American Award established in 1950 to 'celebrate the best writing in America'. The awards are overseen by the National Book Foundation, which aims to ensure that books remain important in American culture.
The yearly process is lengthy, as a panel of judges selects a longlist (ten titles per category), which is then narrowed to the finalists (five titles per category). Then the winner is announced at a large prestigious Awards Ceremony later in the year. Each Finalist receives $1,000 and winners $10,000 (not to mention a fabulous bronze sculpture).
6 – British Book Awards
https://www.thebookseller.com/british-book-awards
Genre/Categories: Audiobook, Children's Fiction, Children's Illustrated & Non-Fiction, Fiction, Fiction: Crime & Thriller, Fiction: Début, Non-fiction: Lifestyle, Non-fiction: Narrative, Pageturner, Illustrator of the Year, Overall Book of the Year, Author of the Year
2021 Winners:
Overall Book of the Year - Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Picador)
Author of the Year - Richard Osman
Click here for a complete list of the British Book Awards Winners 2020
The Independent describes The British Book Awards as the "Baftas of the Book World." Like the Baftas, the British book awards boasts many categories, appealing to lots of readers.
Since 1990 many book lovers have looked to the British Book Awards shortlists to top up their to-read pile. The nine winners are chosen from a shortlist of fifty books by a panel (this year, the panel included celebrities Mel Giedroyc, Lenny Henry, Frankie Bridge and more). So if you're looking for an eclectic mix of reading inspiration, The British Book Awards have got you covered.
7 – National Book Critics Circle Award
https://www.bookcritics.org/awards/
Genre/Categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism.
2020 Winners:
Fiction - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (Knopf)
Non-Fiction - Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire by Tom
Zoellner (Harvard Univ. Press)
Biography - Stranger in the Shogun's City: A Japanese Woman and Her World by Amy Stanley (Scribner)
Click here for a complete list of the National Book Critics Circle Award Winners 2020
This set of awards is judged by a panel of twenty-four top-quality book critics and editors. The submission process is slightly different from other literary awards. There is no cost for publishers to enter the books (expect twenty-four copies for each panel member), and the judges can also put forward books for consideration. Although there six categories, the awards do not consider cookbooks, self-help books or children's books.
8 – PEN/Bellwether Prize
https://pen.org/pen-bellwether-prize/
Genre/Categories: Socially Engaged Fiction
2021 Winners: Hydrangeas of New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks Gleason
The PEN/Bellwether prize awards forward-thinking writing from a US-based author that "describes categorical human transgressions in a way that compels readers to examine their own prejudices".
This award is very different to most others. The main differences are:
The winning manuscript must be unpublished as the prize includes $25,000 and a publishing
contract with Algonquin Books.
Entries are judged blindly, and the author's name, gender, ethnicity, or other details are not
revealed until the winner has been finalised to avoid bias.
The panel only consists of three judges, one editor from Algonquin Books and two esteemed
literary authors.
Although the award has a particular genre and only one award, it is very forward-thinking in its approach and provides opportunities to lesser-known authors.
9 – Women's Prize for Fiction
https://womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/
Genre/Categories: Fiction Written By Women
2020 Winners: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
The Women's Prize for Fiction promotes "accessibility, originality and excellence in writing by women". Every year five female judges join together to award the prize. This award is top-rated and has lots of support from publishers, authors, and readers worldwide for giving women unique acknowledgement for their work.
Judges are told to choose based on work that "inspires them simply moves them, makes them think – and that they admire and enjoy!". The prize also has a year-long podcast that brings you the best of women's literature.
PS - For other great bookish podcasts, check out our blog Top Literary Podcasts for Book Lovers.
10 – Nobel Prize for Literature
Genre/Categories: Life achievement in Literature
2020 Winner: Louise Glück "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal".
The Nobel Prize for Literature does not judge on a single book, and neither does it release a longlist or shortlist. Instead, it is simply awarded to a writer for their outstanding lifetime of work and dedication to literature.
A Nobel Prize is the highest regarded award and a true honour to the author who receives it.
Click here for the complete list of Nobel Prizes in Literature