23 Best Book Awards Of 2024
As an author, it’s rewarding to have your work and achievements recognized.
Receiving a major book award and becoming an “award-winning author” may just be the thing to launch your author career to new heights.
But what are the major awards for each book category?
Below we’ve put together a list of the best book awards out there, including some links to their author websites, and showcased recent winners.
Major Book Awards And Recent Winners
Some book awards are presented yearly. Some every two years. We’ve listed the most recent winners for the time we wrote this post. Check back yearly for new updates.
Nobel Prize in Literature
nobelprize.org
This award is one of the most prestigious in the field of literature. It’s awarded based on overall remarkable contribution. Presented annually since 1901, the Swedish Prize was established as per the will of Alfred Nobel. Writers are nominated for the prize. They must have been nominated at least twice before to qualify for the award.
Recent Winner
Previous Winner (2022)
Pulitzer Prize
Another highly prestigious award, the Pulitzer is presented by Columbia University and awarded annually. Established in 1917, the award is named after Joseph Pulitzer and continues to reign as a coveted award for distinguished writing across multiple genres.
Recent Winners
Previous Winners (2022)
Booker Prize
This award is presented for the best novel written in English and published in Ireland or the United Kingdom. Previously called the Man Booker Prize, it has been awarded since 1969.
Recent Winner
Previous Winner (2022)
International Booker Prize
A counterpart to the Booker Prize, the International Booker Prize was established in 2005. Originally presented biennially, in 2016 it had become an annual occurrence. Awarded to a single book published in Ireland or the United Kingdom, the work has to have been published in or translated into English. The prize is shared and split between the author and the translator of the winning book.
Recent Winner
Previous Winner (2021)
PEN America Literary Awards
Established in 1963, these awards recognize remarkable literary work across multiple genres. PEN America is an NPO founded in 1922. It focuses on freedom of speech and expression in America through literature. This body presents the PEN America awards annually with some of the most prestigious recognitions.
Recent Winner
Previous Winners (2022)
National Book Award
Established in 1950, these awards recognize and celebrate the best of American literature. The National Book Foundation is an NPO that has presented it since 1989. These awards are major across all genres and occur annually.
Recent Winners
previous Winners (2022)
Neustadt International Prize for Literature
This award is sponsored by both World Literature Today and the University of Oklahoma. Since 1970 the award has aimed at acknowledging a writer’s works as a whole and an individual book. It is awarded every two years.
Recent Winner
previous Winner (2022)
National Book Critics Circle Award
Started in 1976, these awards are presented annually in America. They aim to highlight the most remarkable books across genres of the previous year. Nominated pieces must be published in English in the U.S.
Recent Winners
Recent Winners (2021)
Edgar Awards
These awards are presented by Mystery Writers of America. They occur annually and highlight outstanding work of the genre from the previous year. Named after Edgar Allan Poe, this is a major mystery and crime-based non-fiction award.
Recent Winners
2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners Announced – Mystery Writers of America
Previous Winners (2022)
British Book Awards
These awards occur annually in Britain. They award the best of British literature across genres.
Recent Winners
Previous Winners (2022)
The Writer’s Prize
This is a literary award for the truest example of literary excellence. It can be awarded to any literature written in English, in genre, excluding books written for children. It must be published in the UK.
Previously known as the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Folio Prize, and The Literature Prize.
Recent Winners
Previous Winner (2022)
Goodreads Choice Awards
Launched in 2009, the Goodreads Choice Awards lets the readers have their say in which authors get the book awards. Goodreads nominates books annually of mostly verified Goodreads authors for readers to choose from.
Recent Winners
Recent Winners (2022)
The Orwell Prize
Established in 1993, it is a British award for political literature. It is presented annually by the Orwell Foundation and comprises four prizes across multiple genres.
Recent Winners
Previous Winners (2021)
Although a lot of these awards cover a spectrum of genres, there are more genre-specific awards that we’ll go into more detail on shortly.
Of all these book awards, the most prestigious are the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Pulitzer Prize, the Booker Prize, the International Booker Prize, PEN America Literary Awards, and the National Book Award.
These awards are highly coveted, being recognized globally by authors alike across all genres.
Category-Specific Book Awards and Recent Winners
Fiction
The Hugo Award
A literary award presented annually for work from the previous year. This is the major fantasy and science fiction award. Nominated pieces are to be published in or translated into English.
Recent Winner
Previous Winner (2022)
Nebula Awards
This is another Science fiction and fantasy award. This award is presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.
The Nebula Awards grew to become the SFWA Nebula Awards Conference, which is a professional development conference for fiction industry professionals and writers on the journey to become one.
Recent Winners
Previous Winners (2022)
Women’s Prize for Fiction
This is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the United Kingdom. It is presented to a female author for their work written in English and published in the UK. It is an annual occurrence celebrating work by women within the field.
Recent Winner
Previous Winner (2022)
Category-Specific Book Awards and Recent Winners:
Nonfiction
Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
An annual award for non-fiction work in English in the UK. This prize highlights the best non-fiction on any topic.
Recent Winner
Previous Winner (2021)
Category-Specific Book Awards and Recent Winners:
Young People’s Literature
Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
Awarded annually, this prize is presented as a recognition of excellence in young adult literature.
Recent Winner
previous Winner (2021)
Category-Specific Book Awards and Recent Winners:
Children’s Books
The John Newbery Medal
This prize awards the best children’s book in America from the previous year. Established in 1922, it is named after John Newbery. It is presented annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (part of the American Library Association).
Recent Winner
previous Winner (2022)
Caldecott Medal
A prize that recognizes the most remarkable children’s picture books in America from the previous year. It is presented to the illustrator of the winning book by the Association for Library Service to Children.
Recent Winner
previous Winner (2021)
Recent Winners
previous Winners (2022)
Coretta Scott King Award – Children and Young Adult Literature
Awarded to African American authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult literature. It is an annual award for excellence in the genre.
Recent Winners
Previous Winners (2021)
Category-Specific Book Awards and Recent Winners:
Poetry
Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award
The most prestigious poetry award for the best poetry collections written in English. It is an annual prize for work from the previous year. The prize is a pair of awards presented by Claremont Graduate University to a citizen or legal resident of the U.S.
Recent Winner
previous Winner (2023)
The Griffin Poetry Prize
Awarded annually to one Canadian and one international poet or translator. It is based on their work from the previous year. The prize is named after Scott Griffin and was established in 2000.
Recent Winners
previous Winners (2022)
Working towards a major book award is a long-term goal for a lot of authors.
If you’re looking for another way to build credibility as an author right now, having a great author website will go a lot further in the long run.
We’ve designed websites for award-winning authors such as Davis Ashura and Melissa McPhail, so we know a thing or two.
If this is something you’ve been looking for, let us show you how we can bring your work to life! We’re all about giving you the best presence to represent you & your work as an author online.
Here’s where you can learn more about our author website design services.
Want help with your author marketing? Get our FREE ebook and cheat sheet: 6 Steps To Getting More Readers.
By subscribing, you agree to get emails from me, Matt Ziranek. I’ll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe any time.
