World Literary Awards

Literary Awards

Browse award recipients, categories, and yearly award lists

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580 literary awards

Lu Xun Literary Prize

Established
1995
Frequency
4年ごと
Organizer
China Writers Association
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around April
Announcement Period
around August
National Excellent Novella AwardNational Excellent Short Story AwardNational Excellent Reportage AwardNational Outstanding Poetry AwardNational Excellent Prose Essay PrizeNational Outstanding Literary Review AwardsNational Outstanding Literary Translation Award (formerly the Rainbow Translation Award)

A major Chinese literary prize awarded every four years by the China Writers Association, named after the writer Lu Xun. The 2026 revised rules formally opened participation to online literature.

Lao She Literary Award

Established
1999
Frequency
Once every 2–3 years
Organizer
Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Lao She Arts Foundation
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Plays, Scripts, and Screenplays
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around August
novelnovelladramafilmtelevisionradio

A Chinese literary award that honors novels, novellas, drama, film, television, radio, etc., targeting Beijing writers. Established in 1999, first awarded in 2000.

Prize: Recognition (literary award). Prize amount not specified in the article.

Dream of the Red Chamber Award: The World's Distinguished Novel in Chinese

Established
2006
Frequency
Every two years
Organizer
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around September
Chinese Literature AwardNovel AwardInternational Literature Award

A biennially held Chinese-language novel award hosted by Hong Kong Baptist University. Published Chinese-language works are subject to review.

Prize: Grand Prize (Winner)

Shi Nai'an Literary Prize

Established
2011
Frequency
Every two years
Organizer
People's Government of Xinghua (Jiangsu Province)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around August
Announcement Period
around September
Long-form narrative literatureLong novelChinese literature

A literary prize awarded to long novels written in Chinese. Targets works with innovative narrative techniques. Established in 2011, awarded every other year.

Newman Prize for Chinese Literature

Established
2008
Frequency
Biennial (every two years)
Organizer
University of Oklahoma Institute for US-China Issues, David L. Boren College of International Studies
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around March
Chinese-language literary awardInternational literary prizeBiennial award

A biennial prize established by the University of Oklahoma to honor outstanding living authors writing in Chinese; awarded on literary merit.

Prize: Winner receives US$10,000, a plaque, and an invitation to the University of Oklahoma for a ceremony and academic activities.

Bing Xin Children's Literary Award

Established
1990
Frequency
Once a year
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Open
Announcement Period
around March
Children's literatureChinese literatureLiterary award

A children's literature award named after the Chinese writer Bing Xin. An annual award aimed at discovering emerging writers and promoting children's literature.

Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize

Established
2018
Organizer
Blancpain; The Imaginist (literary journal)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Open
Announcement Period
around November
Literary awardSupport for young writers

Literary award established in 2018 by Blancpain and The Imaginist to discover and encourage outstanding young writers under 45.

Prize: Cash prize: 300,000 RMB to winner, 20,000 RMB to finalists.

International Dublin Literary Award

Established
1996
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Dublin City Public Libraries and Archive (sponsored by Dublin City Council)
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around May
International Literary AwardNovelTranslated works (including works translated into English)

An international literary award given to novels written in English or translated into English.

Prize: €100,000 awarded to the winner. In the case of translated works, €75,000 to the author and €25,000 to the translator.

Goldsmiths Prize

Established
2013
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Goldsmiths, University of London; New Statesman
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around June
Announcement Period
around November
Innovative fictionNovelBritish and Irish literature

Annual literary prize awarded to innovative or experimental novels that expand the formal possibilities of the novel form, targeting UK and Irish writers and publishers.

Prize: Winner receives a cash prize of £10,000

Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Established
2007
Frequency
Annual
Organizer
Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (Organizer); Allen O'Shea Literary Agency (Co-founder/Sponsor)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Open
Announcement Period
around May
Independent/Indie publishingSelf-published booksSmall pressUniversity pressE-book publishersFictionNonfictionChildren'sPoetry80+ categories (various genres)

An international literary award program that recognizes outstanding independently published works by independent authors and publishers (70 categories total).

Prize: Cash prizes ($100–$1,500) and medals for winners and finalists; trophy for grand prize winners; top books may be reviewed by literary agents for possible representation.

Booker Prize

Established
1969
Frequency
Annually
Organizer
Booker Prize Foundation (The Booker Prizes)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around March
Announcement Period
around November
Literary prizeEnglish-language long fictionInternational literary prize (English works)

Britain's premier literary prize awarded annually to long-form fiction written in English and published in the UK or Ireland.

Prize: £50,000 to the winner (and international publicity). £2,500 and special bound edition to each shortlisted writer.

Warwick Prize for Writing

Established
2008
Frequency
Biennial (every 2 years)
Organizer
University of Warwick (Warwick University)
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
International Literary PrizeEnglish-language works onlyCross-genre (novels, poetry, non-fiction, academic research, etc.)

Biennial international literary prize hosted by the University of Warwick targeting English-language works. Honors outstanding writing aligned with a theme set each time, regardless of genre. Prize money is £25,000.

Prize: £25,000 prize money (winner)

Rubery International Book Award

Established
2010
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Rubery Book Award (Heather Painter)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Open
Application Deadline
around March
Announcement Period
around July
FictionPoetryNonfictionChildren's booksYAShort StoriesIndie PublishingSelf-Publishing

An international literary award given annually to self-published and indie publisher works written in English.

Prize: Cash prize awarded to winners along with recognition and promotion from winning (specific amount not listed in original).

Montreal International Poetry Prize

Established
2011
Frequency
biennial
Organizer
Department of English, McGill University
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Open
Announcement Period
around September
PoetryInternational Literary AwardEnglish

A biennial international poetry competition open to English-language poems from around the world. One prize of $20,000 CAD is awarded for a single poem of forty or fewer lines. Managed by the Department of English at McGill University, with the winning and finalist poems published in an anthology by Véhicule Press.

Prize: CAD 20,000 awarded to the winning poem. Top 50 poems published in an anthology by Véhicule Press (Signal Editions).

The Donald Windham Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes

Established
2011
Frequency
Annually
Organizer
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Yale University)
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
FictionNonfictionPoetryDrama (Plays)English LiteratureInternational Literary Prize

An annual literary prize run by Yale's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library for English-language writers worldwide, with each recipient receiving an unrestricted grant of $175,000.

Prize: Winners receive a citation, award ceremony, and unrestricted grant.

Caine Prize for African Writing

Established
2000
Frequency
Annually
Organizer
The Caine Prize for African Writing (registered charity)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Open
Application Deadline
around February
Announcement Period
around September
Short story awardAfrican literatureEnglish literature

Annual literary award presented to English-language short stories by writers of African origin. Established in 2000, winner's prize is £10,000.

Prize: £10,000 cash prize to the winner (opportunities for publicity, event participation, etc.)

Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Established
2009
Frequency
Annual
Organizer
Wasafiri (Wasafiri magazine)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Newcomer
Application Deadline
around June
Announcement Period
around September
FictionPoetryLife WritingInternationalDebut writers

An annual international prize for emerging writers who have not yet published a book, established in 2009 to mark Wasafiri magazine's 25th anniversary. Open to entries in Fiction, Poetry, and Life Writing; since 2025, submissions in translation are accepted across all categories.

Prize: Winning works from each category are published in Wasafiri magazine (print and online). Increased recognition and publication opportunities expected from winning.

International Booker Prize

Established
2005
Frequency
Annually (since 2016), biennially from 2005–2015
Organizer
Booker Prize Foundation
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around March
Announcement Period
around May
International literary prizeTranslated literatureFiction

An international literary prize awarded to fiction works translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. Since 2016, it has been awarded annually to a single work, with the £50,000 prize money divided equally between the author and translator.

Prize: The winning work receives £50,000, which is divided equally between the author and translator in principle (each £25,000).

Warwick Prize for Women in Translation

Established
2017
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
University of Warwick
Selection Method
Open call / Recommendation
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Open
Translation prizeLiterary prizeTargeting women writersFictionPoetryLiterary nonfictionChildren's / Young Adult

Annual translation prize hosted by University of Warwick, targeting English translations of works by female authors.

Prize: £1,000 prize money (split equally between author and translator; full amount to translator if author is deceased)

ARA Historical Novel Prize

Established
2020
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Historical Novel Society Australasia
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Open
Application Deadline
around June
Announcement Period
around October
Historical novelAdultChildren and Young AdultReaders' Choice Award

Australia/New Zealand's largest historical novel prize by prize amount. Total prize money of 150,000 dollars awarded in the adult category and children/YA category.

Prize: Adult category winner $100,000, Children/YA category winner $30,000. $5,000 each to 2 authors on each category's shortlist (total $150,000).

Georg Büchner Prize

Established
1923
Frequency
Once a year (since 1951)
Organizer
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Literature awardGerman-language literatureLifetime achievement award

A major literary prize awarded to writers in the German-speaking world. An annual award recognizing contributions to contemporary German culture.

Prize: Cash prize (prize money)

Sigmund Freud Prize (Sigmund Freud Prize for Academic Prose)

Established
1964
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Professional
Academic proseNonfictionPhilosophy-relatedGerman literature

Award for German academic prose (wissenschaftliche Prosa). Awarded by Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung. Established in 1964, prize money €20,000.

Prize: Prize money €20,000

German Book Prize (Deutscher Buchpreis)

Established
2005
Frequency
Once a year (every October)
Organizer
Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels (Foundation for Book Culture and Reading Promotion of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association)
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around March
Announcement Period
around October
German-language literature prizeNovel prizeAnnual literature prize

An annual literary prize awarded by the Foundation for Book Culture and Reading Promotion of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association for the best German-language novel of the year, announced each October at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Prize: €25,000 prize money to the winner. €2,500 each to the 5 shortlisted authors.

Leipzig Book Fair Prize (Preis der Leipziger Buchmesse)

Established
2005
Frequency
Annually
Organizer
Leipziger Messe GmbH (Leipzig Book Fair)
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around March
FictionNonfictionTranslation

A German literary prize awarded annually at the Leipzig Book Fair to outstanding new publications in three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and translation.

Prize: €20,000 is awarded to the winner in each category.

Ingeborg Bachmann Prize

Established
1977
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) / Festival of German-Language Literature (Tage der deutschsprachigen Literatur)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Literary awardGerman-language literatureFestival

The main prize of Tage der deutschsprachigen Literatur held in Klagenfurt. Selected through public readings of unpublished German-language works.

Prize: Ingeborg Bachmann Prize (main prize, for unpublished German-language works)

Aspekte Literature Prize

Established
1979
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
ZDF (television network) / Sponsored by the arts program 'Aspekte'
Selection Method
Selection
Category
General Fiction and Popular Fiction
Target
Newcomer
debut novelGerman literary awardsFirst book awards

Annual literature prize (established 1979) sponsored by ZDF's arts program 'Aspekte', awarded to the best debut novel written in German.

Prize: Prize money 10,000 euros

Kleist Prize

Established
1912
Frequency
Once a year (biennial from 1994–2000)
Organizer
Heinrich-von-Kleist-Gesellschaft (Heinrich von Kleist Society) / Kleist-Archiv Sembdner
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Literary awardGerman literatureWriter's award

German literary award. Established in 1912. Currently awarded mainly once a year with €20,000 prize money.

Prize: Cash prize and honor (Kleist Prize)

Merano Poetry Prize

Established
1993
Frequency
Biennial (every 2 years, may vary by year)
Organizer
South Tyrolean provincial government / Komitee Lyrikpreis Meran
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Open
Announcement Period
around May
PoetryGerman-language literary awardInternational

An international literary prize for German-language poetry, founded in 1993 and awarded biennially in Merano by the South Tyrolean provincial government. The main prize is €8,000.

Prize: 1st Prize (main award: 1. Preis)

Kumar Suvarna Chandrak (Kumar Gold Medal)

Established
1944
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Kumar Trust (Ahmedabad), Hiraben Foundation (Mumbai)
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Literary awardGujarati literature

Established in 1944, a gold medal (honorary) awarded by Kumar Trust to Gujarati writers.

Prize: Kumar Gold Medal (honorary gold medal)

Narmad Suvarna Chandrak (Narmad Gold Medal)

Established
1940
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Narmad Sahitya Sabha, Surat
Selection Method
Selection
Category
Literature and General Literary Arts
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around May
Literature awardGujarati literatureRegional literature

A literary award organized by Narmad Sahitya Sabha in Surat, awarded to the author of the most outstanding book written in Gujarati.

Prize: Gold medal (Narmad Gold Medal)