Summary of Book Awards

Agatha Awards The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the cozy mystery subgenre. The Agatha Awards are handed out annually to winners in six categories: Best Contemporary Novel; Best First Novel; Best Historical Novel; Best Short Story; Best Nonfiction; Best Children's/Young Adult Novel.

ALA Black Caucus Selections These awards recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African American authors published in 2019, including an award for Best Poetry and a citation for Outstanding Contribution to Publishing.

ALA Notable Books Since 1944, the goal of the Notable Books Council (under the auspices of the American Library Association) has been to make available to the nation’s readers a list of 25 very good, very readable, and at times very important fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books for the adult reader.

Alex Awards The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998.

Anthony Awards The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America.

Audie Awards - Audiobooks Each year the Audio Publishers Association honors the best titles in audio publishing at a gala awards ceremony. Awards were given in twenty-four categories including Audiobook of the Year.

Booker Prize The Booker Prize has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over 50 years. Awarded annually to the best novel of the year written in English and published in the UK or Ireland.

Bram Stoker Award The Horror Writer’s Association annually presents the The Bram Stoker Awards, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. Any work of horror first published in the English language may be considered for an award during the year of its publication.

Christy Award The Christy Award was established in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of the novel of faith in contemporary culture. Since that time, the Christys have been a focal point for the writers and publishers in our community, symbolizing the best aspirations and accomplishments of writers who write from a perspective of faith and who create stories with matters of belief at their core.

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809– 1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, television, film, and theater published or produced in the previous year.

The Hugo Awards The Hugo Awards, first presented in 1953 and presented annually since 1955, are Science Fiction’s most prestigious award. The Hugo Awards are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), which is also responsible for administering them.

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the American Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Association.

Morris Awards The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first given in 2009, honors a book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The winner is announced annually at the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards.

Next Generation Indie Book Awards The Next Generation Indie Book Awards, also known as the Indie Book Awards, is a literary awards program that recognizes and honors authors and publishers of exceptional independently published books in 70 different categories. "Indies" include small presses, larger independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.

James Beard KitchenAid Book Awards - Cookbooks The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States. The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year.

National Book Awards for Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry These awards recognize outstanding literary works by United States citizens. Since 1987 the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, but they are awards “by writers to writers.” The panelists are five “writers who are known to be doing great work in their genre or field.”

Nebula Awards The Nebula Awards are voted on by members of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. The organization began in 1965 with a charter membership of 78 writers; it now has over 1,500 members, among them many of the leading writers of science fiction and fantasy. Nebula Awards are given for the best novel, novella, novelette, and short story eligible for that year’s award.

Nobel Prize in Literature On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace. The Nobel Prizes are awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is a national prize that honors the best published works of fiction by American permanent residents in a calendar year. The PEN/Faulkner Foundation celebrates literature and fosters connections between readers and writers to enrich and inspire both individuals and communities.

Pulitzer Prizes The Pulitzer Prizes have been awarding excellence in journalism and the arts since 1917. There are fifteen award categories in journalism and seven in books, drama, and music.

SPUR Awards Spur Awards are literary prizes awarded annually by the Western Writers of America (WWA). The purpose of the Spur Awards is to honor writers for distinguished writing about the American West. The Spur awards began in 1953, the same year the WWA was founded.

Stonewall Book Award The Stonewall Book Award is a set of three literary awards that annually recognize "exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience" in English-language books published in the U.S. They are sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) and have been part of the American Library Association awards program since 1986.