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.
Awards by Genre
Fiction
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PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection
The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection honors an exceptionally talented fiction writer whose debut book represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests…
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PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers
The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers recognizes 12 emerging fiction writers each year for their debut short story.
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PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction
The PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction promotes fiction that addresses issues of social justice and the impact of culture and politics.
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PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel honors a work of exceptional merit by an author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction.
Multigenre
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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.
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PEN Open Book Award
The PEN Open Book Award invites submissions of book-length writings by authors of color, published in the United States during the current calendar year.
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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…
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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
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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
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PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award
The honorary PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award confers a prize of $25,000 to a writer whose work exemplifies excellence and influence in the world…
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PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award
PEN America and the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater awards an American playwright in mid-career with an outstanding voice working indisputably at the highest…
Nonfiction
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PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay
The PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay aims to preserve the dignity and esteem that the essay form imparts to literature.
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PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
The PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award celebrates literary excellence on the subject of the physical or biological sciences.
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PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography
The PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography is awarded for excellence in the art of biography.
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PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction
The PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award will go to the author of a distinguished book of general nonfiction possessing notable literary merit.
Translation
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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.
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PEN Translation Prize
The PEN Translation Prize invites submissions of book-length translations from any language into English published during the current calendar year.
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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
- All submitted books must be published by a trade or academic publisher between January 1 and December 31 in the applicable year. Self-published books are ineligible for the PEN America Literary Awards.
- Books with more than one original author are ineligible for the PEN America Literary Awards.
- PEN America will only accept submissions from publishers or literary agents. Authors may not submit their own books.
- On the submission form, please select the award you are submitting to.
- Submissions of a book to multiple awards is allowed only in the case of the PEN Open Book Award. Please complete a separate submission for this award if applicable.
- Please submit verified email addresses on the submission form. Your order cannot be processed without an email address. Additional contacts are required so that we may be in contact directly if an author or translator is selected as a longlister, finalist, and/or winner.
- Upload a PDF file of the galley or final manuscript on the book submissions form. Book award submissions will be read as PDF files. Please upload the file saved as BOOKTITLE_AUTHORNAME. For the judges’ convenience, please upload a book file WITHOUT watermarks. Each book file will be kept confidentially between the Literary Awards team and the awards judges. Please note that if a book is longlisted, PEN America may request a physical copy be sent to the judging panel.
- Upload a high-resolution book jacket photo. This may be used later if the book is longlisted, a finalist, or a winner.
- Each submission is $85. Submission fees are not refundable. Please note that all payments must be made via the submission form.
- Submission fees may be waived for publishers whose annual net sales are less than $2 million. You may request an exemption here—this form asks for a letter on company letterhead stating that the press’s annual net sales are less than $2 million. Do not submit your title before requesting your fee exemption, as the Literary Awards Team will provide you with an alternative submission method.
- Once the submitted book is received and reviewed for eligibility by PEN America, it will be passed along to the judges. Please add [email protected] to your address book, as it will be the main point of contact from PEN America.
Submission FAQs
Q: What awards is PEN America offering this year?
A: Please click here for a full listing of our awards.
Q: Where do I submit?
A: For each of our awards, the application materials, eligibility requirements, and submission timeline vary. Please check individual award pages for detailed instructions.
Q: What is the timeline for the PEN America Literary Awards announcements?
A: The judges will read through the fall. Longlists and Finalists will be announced in winter. Winners for the Book Awards will be announced live in the spring at the Literary Awards Ceremony before the cycle reopens.
Q: Can I submit one book to multiple awards?
A: Books can only be submitted to one award per cycle, with the exception of the PEN Open Book Award, which honors work by writers of color. Translated books are not eligible for the PEN Open Book Award.
Q: I’m a publisher/agent. Can I submit multiple titles for consideration?
A: Yes! Publishers and agents may submit as many titles as they’d like. In order to streamline the process, we recommend creating a login with Formsite, our submission platform, and using our Save and Return function.
Q: My book won’t be published until after the deadline. Can I send a galley or advance copy instead?
A: Yes, we accept galleys and advance copies.
Q: The book cover for my submission is not yet finalized, but I am required to submit a file on the form. What should I do?
A: In place of the high-resolution book cover, please upload a note saying such in its place. When the book cover is available, please email it to [email protected].
Q: I forgot to submit my title. Can I get an extension?
A: We can accommodate extensions on a case by case basis. Please reach out to [email protected].
Q: Does PEN America offer grants or awards to unpublished writers?
A: PEN America supports emerging writers and works-in-progress in a number of ways. The PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants support translators’ process of translating works that have not previously appeared in English or have appeared only in an outdated or otherwise flawed translation. Similarly, the PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Oral History recognize unpublished, ongoing oral history projects. To learn more about our grants, visit our Grants page.
Eligibility FAQs
Q: Does the author need to be a U.S. resident or citizen?
A: Residency and citizenship requirements vary depending on each award. You can consult the “Who is Eligible” section of each awards page for specific details about that award.
Q: My book is self-published. Am I still eligible for submission?
A: No, PEN America does not accept books that are self-published or submissions from hybrid publishers.
Q: Does “trade publisher” include academic presses?
A: Yes, “trade publisher” includes academic presses.
Q: My press is based in a country outside the U.S., but we distribute our books in the United States. Am I considered a U.S. publisher?
A: No. Only publishers with offices located within the U.S. are considered U.S. publishers. The only book award open to publishers outside the U.S. is the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.
Q: Are current PEN America staff, interns, donors, committee co-chairs, judges, and Trustees eligible for literary awards? What about former staff, interns, donors, and Trustees?
A: No. Writers who are also current PEN America staff or interns, trustees, or chairs of Member committees are not eligible for any of the Awards and/or Grants offered by the Literary Awards Program. Additionally, all current members of the Literary Awards Committee are ineligible. We understand the literary community to be close and interconnected, and being involved with PEN America in these ways in the past does not result in disqualification. We ask that the writer have not been connected with PEN America in these ways during the calendar years of the applicable awards cycle. For example, a person involved with PEN America in one of the categories described in 2020 will not be eligible for an Award or Grant in 2020 or 2021.
Q: I’m a PEN America Member, am I eligible for your Grants or Awards?
A: Yes, PEN America Members are eligible for our Awards and Grants, but will not be given preferential consideration.
Economic FAQs
Q: Our press cannot comfortably afford to pay the submission fees but would like our titles to be considered. What should we do?
A: Publishers whose annual net sales are under $2 million are exempt from paying the submission fee.
Q: How do I get a fee waiver? What documentation is needed?
A: You may request an exemption here. This form asks for a letter on company letterhead stating that the press’s annual net sales are less than $2 million. Do not submit your title before requesting your fee exemption, as the Literary Awards Team will provide you with an alternative submission method.
Q: Covering the Finalist’s travel to the ceremony in New York City poses a significant financial hardship for our press. Does this disqualify us from submitting to the awards?
A: No. For presses using a fee waiver, we are more than happy to waive this requirement. Please make note of it on your declaration of eligibility when submitting.
About Nominations
Nominations are provided by Members and/or by anonymous nomination panels. Judges are encouraged to nominate their own honorees. All eligible books and nominations are considered, and our panels come to their decision after months of reading, email conversation, and conference calls.
About the Awards Committee and Judges
Committee members help select the 80+ judges the program calls on every year, and serve in an advisory capacity. Current members are David Ulin (chair), Victoria Chang, Lily Hoang, Brigid Hughes, Steph Opitz, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Ruben Quesada, Hannah Tinti, and Sasha Weiss. Learn more here »
Our judges are brilliant, award-winning writers, editors, and critics. They are avid readers, passionate about their craft and their community. Judges have included Claudia Rankine, Eduardo C. Corral, Ocean Vuong, and Margo Jefferson.
About the Selection Process
Each year we ask publishers to send us their very best books in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Our offices receive over 1,300 books each year, which our judges diligently read. The PEN America Literary Awards call on over 80 writers, editors, critics, and Members each year to judge the literary awards. It is their diligent reading and conversation that make our literary awards so vibrant and representative of our large community. All eligible books and nominations are considered, and our panels come to their decision after months of reading, email conversation, and conference calls.
Publishers of winning titles that wish to use a winner seal on printed books or a digital file of the seal for future print runs should contact [email protected].