A to Z of book awards

Founded in 1983, the Betty Trask Prize and Awards are given for first novels, and are open to Commonwealth authors under the age of 35.

Commonwealth Writers Prize

Another prize restricted to Commonwealth writers. What makes the prize interesting is that it is divided into four regions—Africa, The Caribbean & Canada, Eurasia, and South East Asia & the South Pacific. Both a best novel and best first novel are selected from each of the regions, from which an overall winner is selected.

Overall Winner

Best First Novel

South-East Asia and South Pacific Region

Overall Winner

Best First Novel

The Costa Book Awards (formerly the Whitbread Book Awards) offers prizes to contemporary British writing. Its awards include Poetry, Biography, Novel, First Novel, Childrens and culminates in the Book of the Year.

Costa Novel Award (formerly the Whitbread Novel Award)

Costa First Novel Award

CWA (British Crime Writer’s Association) Dagger Awards

With awards known as the Daggers, the Crime Writer’s Association celebrates crime writing at its best. The Macallan Gold Dagger for Fiction recognises the top crime writing of the year. 

Edgar Allan Poe Awards (Mystery Writing)

"Edgars" are awarded by the MWA (Mystery Writers of America) for the year’s best mystery writing.

Guardian First Book Award

This award was started in 1999, and is given to a first book, whether fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Claims to be the "first people’s book award" as the long list is whittled down by four reading groups based at Border’s bookshops in the UK. 

Hugo Award (Science Fiction Writing)

The Hugo Award is given annually by the World Science Fiction Society. The winner is determined from nomination and then a popular vote by the members of the society. 

International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

This is the world’s richest prize for a single work of fiction. It is also unique in that the nominations are forwarded by participating libraries throughout the world. 

Lambda Literary Awards

"Lammys" recognise excellence in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender literature. The awards are open to works published in English that explore these themes and are readily available in the US.

Lesbian Fiction

Gay Men’s Fiction

The Man Booker Prize

Perhaps the most prestigious literary award, the Booker is awarded to the best full-length novel written in English by a citizen of the UK, the Commonwealth, Eire, Pakistan or South Africa. 

Miles Franklin Award (Australian)

Miles Franklin bequeathed her estate to establish this award for a published novel or play portraying Australian life. 

Nebula Awards

The Nebula awards are administered, voted and presented by the Science Fiction Writers of America (SWFA) to acknowledge excellence in science fiction writing.

Nobel Prize for Literature

Literature is one of the five Nobel prizes. Nobel’s will states that the prize be given to someone who "shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" and "shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction."

Orange Prize for Fiction

The Orange Prize for Fiction honours women’s writing published in the UK. The award came about because of the lack of female writers appearing in the traditional award lists. The winner receives a cash prize and a brass figurine known as a "Bessie". 

Pulitzer Prize (Fiction)

The Award is given annually to fiction written by an American author and preferably dealing with American life.

Stonewall Book Award

Established in 1971, this award was formerly called the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Book Award. Honouring books (non-fiction and literature) that show exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.