(New York, NY) — The literary and free expression organization PEN America today announced the opening of submissions and nominations for the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards. PEN America will begin accepting submissions today for book awards in 10 distinct categories; submissions close August 1. Publishers and literary agents are invited to digitally submit books published in the 2021 calendar year.

PEN America also opens submissions to the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers and nominations for the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award. Award and prize winners will be celebrated live and in-person during the Literary Awards Ceremony, which will take place in-person in the spring of 2022.

“Over this past year, we’ve seen extraordinary creativity from the literary community,” said PEN America’s Literary Awards program director Jane Marchant. “As we begin submissions for the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards, we look forward to recognizing the writers who have helped to awaken and rejuvenate us. We are grateful to celebrate these books over the coming year, and to welcome even more writers into the pantheon of PEN America Literary Award winners.”

Since 1963, the PEN America Literary Awards have honored outstanding voices in literature across diverse genres, including fiction, poetry, science writing, essays, biography, children’s literature, and drama. With the help of their partners, the PEN America Literary Awards confer over 20 distinct awards and grants each year, and will be awarding some $350,000 to writers and translators in 2022.

The 2021 PEN America Literary Awards were celebrated virtually on April 8, 2021, hosted by off-Broadway star Kara Young and featuring more than 40 writers and translators receiving over 20 juried awards, grants, and prizes. PEN America conferred its annual career achievement awards to esteemed literary figures Anne Carson, Kwame Dawes, Daniel Alexander Jones, Pierre Joris, and George C. Wolfe. The Ceremony was streamed on WNET/All Arts and is viewable here.

Detailed submission guidelines and instructions for the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards are available here. For more information on the Literary Awards, visit our website.