Literary Awards

Literary Awards

Accolades and honors for both early career and literary veterans.

Since 1963, the PEN America Literary Awards have honored outstanding voices in translation, fiction, poetry, science writing, essay, sports writing, biography, children’s literature, and drama. With the help of our partners, PEN America confers over 20 distinct awards, fellowships, grants and prizes each year, awarding nearly $350,000 to writers and translators annually. Please see individual awards below for submission and nomination guidelines. 

Annual Literary Awards Ceremony

A night to celebrate literary achievement, amplify emerging voices, and unite around the power of the written word.

2023 PEN America Literary Awards

Awards by Genre

Fiction

Multigenre

  • PEN/Jean Stein Book Award

    The PEN/Jean Stein Book Award is an annual award which recognizes a book-length work of any genre for its originality, merit, and impact.

  • PEN Open Book Award

    The PEN Open Book Award, formerly the Beyond Margins Awards, invites book submissions by authors of color, published in the United States during the applicable…

  • PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature

    The PEN/Nabokov Award is conferred annually to a living author whose body of work—either written in or translated into English—represents the highest level of achievement…

  • PEN/Nora Magid Award for Magazine Editing

    The PEN/Nora Magid Award for Magazine Editing honors a magazine editor who has greatly contributed to the excellence of the publication he or she edits.

Poetry

  • PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection

    The PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry is given to a poet whose distinguished and growing body of work to date represents a notable and accomplished presence in American literature.

Drama & Performance Writing

Nonfiction

Translation

  • PEN Award for Poetry in Translation

    The $3,000 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation recognizes book-length translations of poetry from any language into English.

  • PEN Translation Prize

    The PEN Translation Prize invites submissions of book-length translations from any language into English published during the current calendar year.

  • PEN/Ralph Manheim Award for Translation

    The PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation is given every three years to a translator whose career has demonstrated a commitment to excellence through the body…


History of the Awards Program

The PEN America Literary Awards program celebrates literary excellence, encourages global discourse, champions important voices, and brings new books to life through our publication awards. From exciting new voices to underrecognized masters of their craft, PEN America honors challenging, thought-provoking, genre-defying writers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Submission Guidelines

Submission FAQs

Eligibility FAQs

Economic FAQs

About Nominations

About the Awards Committee and Judges

About the Selection Process