World Literary Awards

Literary Awards

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580 literary awards

Thanks for the Book Award

Established
1966
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Organization of the Booksellers’ Association of Finland (Kirjakauppaliitto r.y.), Libro ry, Finnish Library Association (Suomen kirjastoseura ry)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around April
Fiction awardsFinnish literary awards

A Finnish literary prize presented annually since 1966 to an author whose work of fiction has particularly stimulated literature in Finland.

Prize: Medal (Kiitos kirjasta -mitali) and public recognition

Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française

Established
1914
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Académie française
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around October
Literature prizeNovelFrench literature

A major French novel prize awarded annually by the Académie française.

Prize: Primarily an honorary award conferring literary prestige (honor and title).

Grand Prix de Littérature Policière

Established
1948
Frequency
Once a year (2 categories: French Work Award, International Work Award)
Organizer
Grand Prix de Littérature Policière Selection Committee (Founded: Maurice-Bernard Endrèbe)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Genre Fiction
Target
Professional
Mystery/Crime novelsDetective novelsLiterary awardsFrench literature awards

An authoritative literary award targeting French crime and detective novels. Established in 1948. Awarded to the best works in the French division and international division.

Prize: Best Work Award in French Division and International Division (honor, trophy, etc.)

Prix Alain-Fournier

Established
1986
Frequency
annual
Organizer
Town of Saint-Amand-Montrond
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
French literatureNovelEarly-career novelistsLiterary awardFrench fictiondebut novelfirst/second/third novel

A French literary award. Established by the town of Saint-Amand-Montrond in memory of Alain-Fournier to encourage early-career novelists.

Prize: Encouragement award for young novelists (No prize amount mentioned in the source text)

Prix Décembre

Established
1989
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Literary awardFrench literatureNovels/Non-fiction

One of France's major literary prizes. Founded as Prix Novembre in 1989 and renamed Prix Décembre in 1998. Prize money is €15,000 (since 2019).

Prix des Deux Magots

Established
1933
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Les Deux Magots café (Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Prés)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around September–October
Literary awardNovel

A historic French literary prize founded in 1933 to honor emerging or underrecognized novelists and essayists writing in French.

Prize: Honor of the award (prize money may not be publicly announced)

Prix Femina

Established
1904
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Prix Femina Committee (Women-only jury)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Professional
Literary prizeFrench-language literatureNovelsPoetryEssaysTranslated literature

French literary prize selected by women-only jury. Established in 1904.

Prize: Honorary prize (awarded per category)

Fénéon Prize

Established
1949
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Chancellerie des Universités de Paris
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Arts and Media Arts
Target
Professional
LiteratureVisual artsFrench-language works

Founded in 1949, an annual French prize awarded to writers and visual artists aged 35 or under with modest financial means, administered by the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris.

Prize: Recognition for young (aged 35 or under) French-language writers and visual artists (literature and art categories). Detailed prize amounts may not be explicitly stated in some sources.

Prix de Flore

Established
1994
Frequency
Once a year (every November)
Organizer
Frédéric Beigbeder and Carole Chrétiennot (Co-founders) / Award ceremony venue: Café de Flore (Paris)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around November
Literary prizeFrench-language literatureTargeting young writers

A French literary prize founded in 1994 by Frédéric Beigbeder and Carole Chrétiennot. Each November at Café de Flore in Paris, it honors a promising young author selected on the criteria of originality, modernity, and youthfulness.

Prize: Approximately 6,000 euros and the right to drink Pouilly-Fumé (white wine) every day for one year at Café de Flore (glass engraved with winner's name)

Prix du roman Fnac

Established
2002
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Fnac (French cultural and electronics retail chain)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Literary awardNovelFrance

A French literary award founded in 2002 by Fnac. Each year, a jury of 800 — 400 Fnac booksellers and 400 Fnac members — reads over 250 novels during the summer, narrows the list to 30 finalists, and announces the winner in late August or early September.

Prize: Title awarded to the winner (no prize money amount specified in the input data)

Prix Goncourt

Established
1903
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Académie Goncourt
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around September
Announcement Period
around November
NovelFrench literatureLiterary award

France's leading annual literary prize. Awarded by the Académie Goncourt to the best and most imaginative prose work of the year.

Prize: Symbolic prize money (check) and honor, increase in book sales due to winning

Prix Interallié (Interallié Prize)

Established
1930
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Founded in 1930 by around thirty journalists at the Cercle de l'Union interalliée in Paris. The jury comprises ten journalists plus the previous year's laureate, presided over by Jean-Marie Rouart of the Académie française.
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
NovelLiterary awardFrench literature

French literary award given annually to novels written by journalists.

Prize: Honorary award (no cash prize is paid)

Prix Valery Larbaud

Established
1967
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
L'Association Internationale des Amis de Valery Larbaud
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around May
Literary prizeFrench literature

French literary prize established in 1967. Awarded to works that Valery Larbaud would likely have appreciated.

Prix Médicis

Established
1958
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
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Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around November
Fiction (French-language works)Translated works (Prix Médicis étranger)Essay/Non-fiction (Prix Médicis essai)

French literary prize established in 1958. Announced every November, awarded to writers who have not yet gained fame commensurate with their talent. Main categories: main prize (French-language works), étranger (translated works), essai (essay/non-fiction).

Prize: Literary honor (award in each category). Prize money and additional prizes may not be specified.

Prix Mystère de la critique

Established
1972
Frequency
Annually
Organizer
A jury of critics led by Pierre Lebedel (president), Alain Regnault (secretary), and Serge Breton, continuing the prize founded in 1972 by Mystère magazine.
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Genre Fiction
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around January
Announcement Period
around February
Mystery/Crime novelsFrench-language novels (domestic category)Foreign-language novels (French translation, international category)

One of France's oldest crime fiction awards, founded in 1972. Presented annually in February for the best French-language novel and the best foreign novel in French translation.

Prize: Awards in each category: Domestic (Best French-language novel) and Foreign (Best translated novel)

Prix de la page 112

Established
2012
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Claire Debru (French editor and literary critic)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Literary prizeFrench literatureBooks

A French literary prize established in 2012 by editor and literary critic Claire Debru. Its distinctive selection method has jurors first read page 112 of a book to decide whether the work merits a full reading. The prize was discontinued after 2018.

Prize: No publicly announced prize money confirmed. Primarily a literary prize that confers honor and media attention.

Prix du Quai des Orfèvres

Established
1946
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Organized by Éditions Fayard. The jury of 22 members (police officers, magistrates, lawyers, journalists, and filmmakers) is chaired in practice by the Regional Director of the Judicial Police of Paris and holds the Prefect of Police as honorary president. Secretariat: 36 rue du Bastion, 75017 Paris.
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Genre Fiction
Target
Open
Announcement Period
around November
Police novelsMystery novelsFrench literature

An annual French literary award established in 1946. Unpublished French-language crime novels are submitted anonymously and judged by a 22-member jury. The winner receives a publishing contract with Fayard for 50,000 copies and a prize of 777 euros.

Prize: 50,000-copy publishing contract by Fayard (publication of winning work) and additional prize

Prix Renaudot (Prix Théophraste-Renaudot)

Established
1926
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Prix Renaudot Jury Committee (composed of journalists and critics)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Nonfiction and Documentary Literature
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around November
Literary awardFrench LiteratureNovelNonfiction

One of France's major literary awards. Established in 1926. Winners are announced on the first Tuesday of November each year.

Prize: Literary Honor (recognition from the award, book sales promotion, etc.)

Candide Preis

Established
1995
Frequency
Annual
Organizer
Literarischer Verein Minden; Foundation Genshagen; Villa Gillet (Lyon); French Ministry of Culture
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Contemporary literature (contemporary authors)International (Germany-France) joint literary awardNovella/medium-short story related

A German-French joint literary award awarded to contemporary writers from Germany and France from 1995 to 2011.

Shota Rustaveli State Prize

Established
1965
Organizer
Government of Georgia (Ministry of Culture)
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
General Arts and Media Arts
Target
Professional
LiteratureArtsState Prize

State prize in the fields of arts and literature in Georgia. Established in 1965.

Prize: Medal and national honor (State Prize for Arts and Literature in Georgia)

Bertelsmann-Preisausschreiben

Established
0
Frequency
Irregular
Organizer
C. Bertelsmann Verlag
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
LiteratureMultiple genres

A literary award irregularly awarded by the German publisher C. Bertelsmann Verlag.

Prize: Details unknown (prize money and awards information not disclosed)

Bertolt Brecht Literature Prize

Established
1995
Frequency
Every three years (once every three years)
Organizer
Stadt Augsburg (City of Augsburg)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Literature awardGerman literature awardTriennial (every 3 years)

A literature prize awarded every three years in Augsburg, Germany. Prize money is €15,000.

Prize: 15,000 euros awarded as prize money

Carl Zuckmayer Medal

Established
1979
Frequency
Annually (usually)
Organizer
Rhineland-Palatinate State Government (Landesregierung von Rhineland-Palatinate)
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around January
Literary awardGerman literatureMedal/Memorial award

A literary medal awarded by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in memory of Carl Zuckmayer.

Prize: Carl Zuckmayer Medal (Carl-Zuckmayer-Medaille) and a 30-liter barrel of Nackenheimer wine from Weingut Gunderloch

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Award)

Established
1956
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Arbeitskreis für Jugendliteratur (AKJ) / Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around March
Announcement Period
around October
Picture BookChildren's BookYouth/Young Adult BookNon-fiction BookYouth Jury PrizeSpecial awards (Lifetime achievement, New talent)

Germany's state-funded award for children's and young adult literature. Established in 1956, held annually, it honors outstanding works in multiple categories.

Prize: Per-category cash prize and a bronze statuette (Momo) designed by Detlef Kraft; additionally special awards for lifetime achievement and new talent.

Fontane Prize of the City of Neuruppin

Established
1994
Frequency
Biennial (every two years)
Organizer
Fontanestadt Neuruppin (City of Neuruppin) and the State of Brandenburg
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around May–August
Literature prizeGerman LiteratureWriter SupportRegional Culture (Brandenburg)

A literature prize awarded biennially to writers active in Brandenburg. Winners receive a grant over 24 months.

Prize: Grant to the winner (total €40,000) — A stipend to support the winner dedicating 24 months to writing.

Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt

Established
1927
Frequency
Once a year (1927–1955), every 3 years since 1955 (triennial)
Organizer
City of Frankfurt am Main (Stadt Frankfurt am Main)
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around May
Literary awardCultural awardAcademic/Humanities award

Award presented by the City of Frankfurt for outstanding achievements in memory of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Established in 1927.

Prize: €50,000 prize money and a certificate written on parchment

Hanseatic Goethe Prize

Established
1949
Frequency
biennially (every two years)
Organizer
Alfred Toepfer Foundation F.V.S. (Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S.)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Arts and Media Arts
Target
Professional
LiteratureArtsEuropean cultural award

A German literary and artistic prize awarded biennially (1949–2005) by the Alfred Toepfer Foundation to figures of European stature.

Prize: Monetary cultural prize awarded to individuals of European stature; included a cash award and public recognition.

Heinrich Heine Prize

Established
1953
Frequency
Multiple (Düsseldorf: every 2 years / Heinrich-Heine-Gesellschaft: irregular / former GDR: once a year (discontinued))
Organizer
Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf (City of Düsseldorf); Heinrich-Heine-Gesellschaft (Hamburg); Ministry for Culture (former GDR, historical)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Literary awardHumanities/Social sciencesCulture

Collective term for multiple literary prizes named after Heinrich Heine. Mainly includes the Düsseldorf city prize, Heinrich-Heine-Gesellschaft (Hamburg) prize, and former GDR Ministry of Culture prize.

Prize: Düsseldorf Prize: Cash prize (currently €50,000). Heinrich-Heine-Gesellschaft Prize: Sculpture object (Die Schere der Zensur). Former GDR Prize: Historically cash prize in East German marks (approx. 15,000 marks).

Hermann Hesse Literature Prize

Established
1957
Frequency
Biennial (approximately every 2 years)
Organizer
Stiftung Hermann-Hesse-Literaturpreis Karlsruhe
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Literature prizeGerman Literature Prize

Literature prize commemorating Hermann Hesse, awarded in Karlsruhe, Germany. Prize money is 15,000 euros.

Prize: Main prize (Hermann-Hesse-Literaturpreis)

Hans Fallada Prize

Established
1981
Frequency
Biennially (usually every two years)
Organizer
City of Neumünster (Stadt Neumünster)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
German Literature PrizeFiction (Novels)Literary Prize for Young Writers

A literary prize awarded biennially by the City of Neumünster, Germany, to young German-language writers (established in 1981).

Prize: Honorary prize and cash award (10,000 euros)