Literary award
Encyclopedia
A literary award is an award
presented to an author
who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry
to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre
of fiction or non-fiction writing (such as science fiction
or politics
). There are also awards dedicated to works in individual languages, eg. the Miguel de Cervantes Prize
(Spanish
) and the Camões Prize
(Portuguese
). Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony
.
Some of the most notable literary prizes include the Nobel Prize in Literature
, the Man Booker Prize
, the Pulitzer Prize
, the Whitbread Awards, the Neustadt Prize and the Hugo Awards.
In recent years, some media
corporations have sponsored new literary prizes, including the Quill Awards
, which were first awarded in 2005 and The Ireland Funds
AWB Vincent Literary Award in 2000.
There are also spoof awards, such as The Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award, the Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year
, and the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction
and Lyttle Lytton Contest
s, which are both given to deliberately bad sentences.
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
presented to an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of fiction or non-fiction writing (such as science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
or politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
). There are also awards dedicated to works in individual languages, eg. the Miguel de Cervantes Prize
Miguel de Cervantes Prize
The Miguel de Cervantes Prize , established in 1976, is awarded annually to honour the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language. The prize is similar to the Booker Prize, with its candidates from Commonwealth countries, in that it rewards authors from any...
(Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) and the Camões Prize
Camões Prize
The Camões Prize , named after Luís de Camões is the most important literary prize for the Portuguese language. It is awarded annually by the Portuguese Fundação Biblioteca Nacional and the Brazilian Departamento Nacional do Livro to the author of an outstanding work written in Portuguese.It...
(Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
). Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
.
Some of the most notable literary prizes include the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
, the Man Booker Prize
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
, the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
, the Whitbread Awards, the Neustadt Prize and the Hugo Awards.
In recent years, some media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
corporations have sponsored new literary prizes, including the Quill Awards
Quill Awards
The Quill Award was an American literary award that ran for three years in 2005-07. It was a "consumer-driven award created to inspire reading while promoting literacy." The Quills Foundation, the organization behind the Quill Award, was supported by a number of notable media corporations,...
, which were first awarded in 2005 and The Ireland Funds
The Ireland Funds
The Ireland Funds are a global fundraising network for people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland, dedicated to raising funds to support programs of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland...
AWB Vincent Literary Award in 2000.
There are also spoof awards, such as The Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award, the Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year
Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year
The Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year, originally known as the Diagram Group Prize for the Oddest Title at the Frankfurt Book Fair, commonly known as the Diagram Prize for short, is a humorous literary award that is given annually to the book with the oddest title...
, and the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction
Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is a tongue-in-cheek contest that takes place annually and is sponsored by the English Department of San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Entrants are invited "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels" – that is,...
and Lyttle Lytton Contest
Lyttle Lytton Contest
The Lyttle Lytton Contest is a diminutive derivative of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, and was first run in the year 2001. Both are tongue-in-cheek contests that take place annually and in which entrants are invited "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels."The...
s, which are both given to deliberately bad sentences.
See also
- List of literary awards
- List of poetry awards
- List of the world's richest literary prizes
- Literary festivalLiterary festivalA literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city...
External links
- Book Prize Information: database of literary awards
- Author Ranking by Literary Awards: ranked lists of authors that received prominent literary award honors
- Best books of: 2008, 2009, 2000-2009, 2010, Year-end "Best Books" lists aggregated at Largehearted Boy.
- "The Art of Prize-Fighting", by Tom Chatfield in Prospect Magazine, January 2009. Essay on the history and merit of modern literary prizes.
- "75 Notes For An Unwritten Essay on Literary Prizes", by Matthew Hunte, at "The Busy Signal" November 27 2010. Essay-notes on the history of literary prizes.