Here’s the rundown of this year’s nominees and winners for some of the biggest literary prizes and awards:
International Prizes
- Nobel Prize for Literature
- Booker Prizes
- Pulitzer Prize
Canadian Prizes
- Scotiabank Giller Prize
- Governor General’s Literary Awards
- CBC Literary Prizes
- Canada Reads
- BC Book Prizes
American Prizes
- National Book Awards
- Reading Women Award
- Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Non-Fiction
British Prizes
- Women’s Prize for Fiction
- The Desmond Elliot Prize
- Goldsmith’s Prize
- Wellcome Book Prize
Australian Prizes
- Stella Prize
INTERNATIONAL
The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to 113 Nobel Laureates since 1901. Click on the links to get more information.
- The Nobel Prize for Literature for 2018 was cancelled due to a scandal. There are rumours that it will return this year, and may be awarded to two authors.
To view a list of past winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, go here.
The Booker Prize promotes the finest in fiction by rewarding the very best book of the year. The prize is the world’s most important literary award and has the power to transform the fortunes of authors and publishers.
The two Booker Prizes for this year are detailed below in order of when they were announced and awarded.
Booker International
Longlist (March 13, 2019)
- Jokha Alharthi (Arabic / Omani), Marilyn Booth, Celestial Bodies (Sandstone Press Ltd)
- Can Xue (Chinese / Chinese), Annelise Finegan Wasmoen, Love In The New Millennium (Yale University Press)
- Annie Ernaux (French / French), Alison L. Strayer, The Years (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
- Hwang Sok-yong (Korean / Korean), Sora Kim-Russell, At Dusk (Scribe, UK)
- Mazen Maarouf (Arabic / Icelandic and Palestinian), Jonathan Wright, Jokes For The Gunmen (Granta, Portobello Books)
- Hubert Mingarelli (French / French), Sam Taylor, Four Soldiers (Granta, Portobello Books)
- Marion Poschmann (German / German), Jen Calleja, The Pine Islands (Profile Books, Serpent’s Tail)
- Samanta Schweblin (Spanish / Argentine and Italian), Megan McDowell, Mouthful Of Birds (Oneworld)
- Sara Stridsberg (Swedish / Swedish), Deborah Bragan-Turner, The Faculty Of Dreams (Quercus, MacLehose Press)
- Olga Tokarczuk (Polish / Polish), Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
- Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Spanish / Colombian), Anne McLean, The Shape Of The Ruins (Quercus, MacLehose Press)
- Tommy Wieringa (Dutch / Dutch), Sam Garrett, The Death Of Murat Idrissi (Scribe, UK)
- Alia Trabucco Zeran (Spanish / Chilean), Sophie Hughes, The Remainder (And Other Stories)
Shortlist (April 9, 2019)
- Jokha Alharthi (Arabic / Omani), Marilyn Booth, Celestial Bodies (Sandstone Press Ltd)
- Annie Ernaux (French / French), Alison L. Strayer, The Years (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
- Marion Poschmann (German / German), Jen Calleja, The Pine Islands (Profile Books, Serpent’s Tail)
- Olga Tokarczuk (Polish / Polish), Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
- Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Spanish / Colombian), Anne McLean, The Shape Of The Ruins (Quercus, MacLehose Press)
- Alia Trabucco Zeran (Spanish / Chilean), Sophie Hughes, The Remainder (And Other Stories)The Years
Winner (May 21, 2019)
Booker Prize
Longlist (July 24, 2019)
- Margaret Atwood (Canada), The Testaments (Vintage, Chatto & Windus)
- Kevin Barry (Ireland), Night Boat to Tangier (Canongate Books)
- Oyinkan Braithwaite (UK/Nigeria), My Sister, The Serial Killer (Atlantic Books)
- Lucy Ellmann (USA/UK), Ducks, Newburyport (Galley Beggar Press)
- Bernardine Evaristo (UK), Girl, Woman, Other (Hamish Hamilton)
- John Lanchester (UK), The Wall (Faber & Faber)
- Deborah Levy (UK), The Man Who Saw Everything (Hamish Hamilton)
- Valeria Luiselli (Mexico/Italy), Lost Children Archive (4th Estate)
- Chigozie Obioma (Nigeria), An Orchestra of Minorities (Little Brown)
- Max Porter (UK), Lanny (Faber & Faber)
- Salman Rushdie (UK/India), Quichotte (Jonathan Cape)
- Elif Shafak (UK/Turkey), 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World (Viking)
- Jeanette Winterson (UK), Frankissstein (Jonathan Cape)
Shortlist (September 3, 2019)
Winner (October 14, 2019)
To view a list of past winners, go here.
For more info on the prize, go here.
CANADIAN
The Giller Prize was founded in 1994 by Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller, who passed away from cancer the year before. The award recognized excellence in Canadian fiction – long format or short stories – and endowed a cash prize annually of $25,000.00, the largest purse for literature in the country.
- Longlist announced: Tuesday, September 10, 2019
- Shortlist announced: Monday, September 30, 2019
- Winner announced: Monday, November 18, 2019
- #GillerWinner Twitter chat: Thursday November 21, 2019
For more Canadian literature of the season, check out Crazy for CanLit.
Governor General’s Literary Awards
As Canada’s national literary awards, the GGs represent the rich diversity of Canadian literature. Some 1,600 books are submitted each year from English and French-language publishers representing authors, translators and illustrators from across Canada, in seven categories.
- Finalists and winners are usually announced in October.
Search submitted titles here.
More information on the awards and countdown to next event can be found here.
Michael Ondaatje. Carol Shields. George Bowering. Robert Munsch. Susan Musgrave. Leon Rooke. Gail Anderson-Dargatz. Since 1979, the CBC Literary Prizes have recognized Canada’s brightest literary stars on the rise.
CBC Short Story Prize | CBC Creative Non-Fiction Prize | CBC Poetry Prize
The BC Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia writers and publishers. The seven Prizes are presented annually at the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Book Prizes Gala in the spring, with the winner of The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence being announced beforehand at the annual BC Book Prizes Soirée.
See a full list of winners and finalists here.
AMERICAN
The National Book Award is one of the nation’s most prestigious literary prizes and has a stellar record of identifying and rewarding quality writing. In 1950, William Carlos Williams was the first Winner in Poetry, the following year William Faulkner was honored in Fiction, and so on through the years. Many previous Winners of the National Book Award are now firmly established in the canon of American literature, such as Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, Jonathan Franzen, Denis Johnson, Joyce Carol Oates, and Adrienne Rich.
The National Book Award Finalists will be announced on October 14th; Winners will be announced at a gala dinner and ceremony in New York on November 18th. For more information on the Awards and a list of this year’s judges, visit www.nationalbook.org.
- Longlists Announced: Usually mid-September
- Finalists Announced: Usually mid-October
- National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner (Winners announced): Usually mid-November
Reading Women Award
Established in 2016, the Reading Women Award recognizes outstanding books written by or about women. Awarded annually, the prize is given to one fiction and one nonfiction work that embodies the mission of Reading Women. You can find all of the titles shortlisted for the award here.
I don’t have dates for the 2019 award yet, but I believe it will be late in the year.
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Non-Fiction
The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year. The winners (one for fiction, one for nonfiction) are announced at an event at the ALA Midwinter Meeting; winning authors receive a $5,000 cash award. For more information on award seals, please visit the ALA store.
A longlist comprised of no more than 50 titles is released in September. Six finalists, three fiction and three nonfiction, are announced in October. The winners are announced at the RUSA Book and Media Awards Ceremony at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting.
2018-19 Longlist:
The Longlist is quite long, so you can see the full list here. There are a lot of fantastic titles on it, so there’s plenty to discover!
2018-19 Finalists – Fiction:
- Washington Black – Esi Edugyan
- The Great Believers – Rebecca Makkai
- There There – Tommy Orange
2018-19 Finalists – Non-Fiction:
- The Line Becomes A River – Francisco Cantú
- Heavy – Kiese Laymon
- Dopesick – Beth Macy
2018-19 Winners:
Fiction: The Great Believers – Rebecca Makkai
Non-Fiction: Heavy – Kiese Laymon
2019-20 Longlist will be released in September.
BRITISH
One of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, the BAILEYS Women’s Prize for Fiction – previously known as the Orange Prize for Fiction – celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world.
Longlist (Moday March 4, 2019)
Freshwater – Akwaeke Emezi
Milkman – Anna Burns
My Sister the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite
Normal People – Sally Rooney
Swansong – Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott
Remembered – Yvonne Battle-Felton
Circe – Madeline Miller
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
Ordinary People – Diana Evans
Praise Song for the Butterflies – Bernice L. McFadden
The Silence of the Girls – Pat Barker
Lost Children Archive – Valeria Luiselli
Number One Chinese Restaurant – Lillian Li
The Pisces – Melissa Broder
Ghost Wall – Sarah Moss
Bottled Goods – Sophie van Llewyn
Shortlist (April 29, 2019)
The Silence of the Girls – Pat Barker
Circe – Madeline Miller
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
Ordinary People – Diana Evans
Milkman – Anna Burns
My Sister the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite
Winner (June 5, 2019)
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
The Desmond Elliott Prize is an annual award for a first novel written in English and published in the UK. Worth £10,000 to the winner, the prize is named after the literary agent and publisher, Desmond Elliott. Books eligible for the 2018 prize must have been published between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018.
Longlist: Will be announced in April 2, 2019
- Follow Me To Ground – Sue Rainsford
- The Chameleon – Samuel Fisher
- Devoured – Anna Mackmin
- A Perfect Explanation – Eleanor Anstruther
- Golden Child – Claire Adam
- Stubborn Archivist – Yara Rodrigues Fowler
- Testament – Kim Sherwood
- Future Popes of Ireland – Darragh Martin
- Hold – Michael Donkor
- Everything Under – Daisy Johnson
Shortlist: Will be announced May 10, 2019
Winner: Will be announced at the end of June
The National Book Awards showcases the best of British writing & publishing, whilst celebrating books with wide popular appeal, critical acclaim and commercial success. There are 11 categories. The awards are run by Cactus TV Ltd with developmental help from a cross-industry steering group.
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The Award is given annually. The prize of €100,000 is awarded to the author of the winning book. However, if the winning book is in English translation, €75,000 is awarded to the author and €25,000 to the translator.
Longlist:
Shortlist:
Winner announced: June 2019
The Folio Prize is open to all works of fiction written in English and published in the UK. All genres and all forms of fiction are eligible. The format of first publication may be print or digital.
The Prize will be awarded in March for books published in the previous calendar year.
Shortlist:
Winner announced: May 2019
David Cohen Prize for Literature
Awarded biennially, this £40,000 prize recognises a lifetime’s achievement in literature, honouring a writer in the English language who is a citizen of the UK or the Republic of Ireland. The winner of the prize is nominated and selected by a panel of judges comprising authors, literary critics and academics. No shortlist is announced. The John S. Cohen Foundation finances the prize and the Arts Council England provides a further £12,500 for the Clarissa Luard Award, which the winner of the David Cohen Prize awards to a literature organisation that supports young writers or an individual writer under the age of 35. Founded 1991. (source)
The Costa Book Awards is one of the UK’s most prestigious and popular literary prizes and recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year, written by authors based in the UK and Ireland.
Since their launch in 1971, the awards have rewarded a wide range of excellent books and authors across all genres.
Uniquely, the prize has five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book – with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year. It is the only prize which places children’s books alongside adult books in this way.
- Category shortlists announced November 2018
- Category winners announced January 2019
- Costa book of the year announced January 2019
Shortlists:
2018 Costa Novel Award shortlist
2018 Costa First Novel Award shortlist
2018 Costa Biography Award shortlist
2018 Costa Poetry Award shortlist
2018 Costa Children’s Book Award shortlist
Category Winners:
- First Novel Award –
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Novel Award –
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Costa Biography Award –
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Poetry Award –
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Children’s Book Award –
Costa Book of the Year:
Launched in 2006, the annual International Dylan Thomas Prize is one of the most prestigious awards for young writers, aimed at encouraging raw creative talent worldwide. It celebrates and nurtures international literary excellence.
Longlist:
Shortlist:
Winner announced: May 2019
Republic of Consciousness Prize
The winner will be chosen based on two criteria, perfectly expressed on the Galley Beggar website as ‘hardcore literary fiction and gorgeous prose’.
Eligible publishers will have a maximum of five full-time paid people working for them.
The prize is open to UK and Irish publishers. One novel or single author collection of short stories per publisher can be submitted in the calendar year.
The shortlist will be decided by a small group of booksellers and online reviewers, and the prize is run by James Tookey.
Timing: Longlist announced December 2018, shortlist of five books in February 2019 and winner announced at an event in March/April (date TBD).
Shortlist:
Winner:
List of winners and nominees on Goodreads here.
The Wellcome Book Prize is an annual award, open to new works of fiction or non-fiction. To be eligible for entry, a book should have a central theme that engages with some aspect of medicine, health or illness. This can cover many genres of writing – including crime, romance, popular science, sci fi and history.
Longlist:
Shortlist:
Winner announced: April 2019
Fiction at its most novel. The Goldsmiths Prize was established in 2013 to celebrate the qualities of creative daring associated with the University and to reward fiction that breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form. The annual prize of £10,000 is awarded to a book that is deemed genuinely novel and which embodies the spirit of invention that characterizes the genre at its best.
Timeline for 2019 prize:
Prize open for submissions:
Closing date for submission of entry forms:
Closing date for submission of finished books:
Shortlist announced: September 2019
Winner announced: November 2019
The British Book Awards or Nibbies honours and celebrates the commercial successes of publishers, authors and bookshops. Organised by The Bookseller, it culminates in the stand-out event of the publishing year, The British Book Awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House hotel.
Alongside trade accolades such as publisher of the year and book retailer of the year, The British Book Awards announces seven individual books of the year: Children’s; Debut fiction; Fiction; Crime & Thriller; Non-fiction: Lifestyle; Non-fiction: Narrative and (new in 2018) AudioBook. An overall Book of the Year is then chosen from the individual winners.
Also new in 2018, The British Book Awards celebrates an author, or illustrator, who has achieved stunning commercial success alongside making a genuine contribution to the general health of the book world.
The Nibbies was launched in 1990 by Fred Newman, founder and editor of Publishing News and taken over by The Bookseller in 2017. There have been many notable winners over the years. Faber was the first Publisher of the Year in 1990 and in 2017 the honour went to Pan Macmillan. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince scooped Book of the Year in 2006. In 2017, Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent took that overall honour.
The Orwell Foundation uses the work of George Orwell to celebrate honest writing and reporting, uncover hidden lives and confront uncomfortable truths.
Awarded annually, this prize seeks out the best books by British/British resident BAME writers and awards one winner £1,000. The prize is unique in that it accepts entries published in the UK in 2017 by a writer of colour. Entries can be fiction, non-fiction, short story, graphic novel, poetry, children’s books, YA, teen and all genres. The prize is also open to self-published writers. The aim is the find the best writers of colour in the country.
Started by authors Sunny Singh and Nikesh Shukla and Media Diversified, with support from The Authors’ Club and a prize donated by an anonymous benefactor the prize exists, to celebrate the achievements of British writers of colour.
The Clarissa Luard Award for Independent Publishers recognises excellence and creativity in literary publishing, awarding one independent publisher from the UK or Ireland a cash prize of £10,000.
