Many literary awards give significant remunerations. This is a list of active literary awards from around the world with a prize of at least US$100,000 or equivalent. Although global in scope and comprising over 35 awards, most of the prizes are in only four currencies: United Arab Emirates dirham, Swedish krona, Euro, and United States dollar.
Inclusion criteria
edit- The award is active and is primarily focused on writing (novels, poetry, non-fiction etc..)
- The remuneration is equal to or greater than US$100,000 or equivalent. Because fluctuating exchange rates move non-US dollar denominated awards in and out of the list over time, awards near this amount are also included.
- The award is for any genre of writing (fiction, journalism, etc.) or award type (book or author).
- The listed remuneration is for a single winner or co-winners. The list does not aggregate the total value of runners-up and other prizes within the same award. For example, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards is listed as A$100,000 even though it is composed of four prizes totalling A$400,000.
Prizes
edit| Approximate
Equivalent in US$ |
Prize amount | Prize name | Type | Host country | Primary language | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,361,000 | DH 5,000,000 | Million's Poet | — | UAE | Arabic | Award for a single poem. Total prizes for 2nd to 5th positions are approximately $2,723,000. Sister prize of Prince of Poets | [1] |
| 1,092,000 | €1,000,000 | Premio Planeta de Novela (winner) | Book | Spain | Spanish | See also runner-up of same prize. | [2] |
| 1,000,000 | kr 11,000,000 | Nobel Prize in Literature | Author | Sweden | Any | There are five Nobel Prizes of 11 million kronor each. | [3] |
| 466,500 | kr 5,000,000 | Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award | Author | Sweden | Any | Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and people or organisations that work with reading promotion in the area of children's and young adult literature, are eligible for the prize. | [4] |
| 272,000 | DH 1,000,000 | Prince of Poets | — | UAE | Arabic | Award for a single poem. Sister prize of Million's Poet | [5][6] |
| 250,000 | US$250,000 | The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize | Author* | United States | English | Open to all arts, not just writers. | [7] |
| 250,000 | US$250,000 | Carlos Fuentes International Prize for Literary Creation in the Spanish Language | Author | Mexico | Spanish | Any writer writing in the Spanish language | [8] |
| 228,000 | kr 2,500,000 | International Ibsen Award | Author* | Norway | Any | Any drama and theater position eligible, not just writers. | [9] |
| 218,000 | €200,000 | Prix mondial Cino Del Duca | Author | France | Any | Open to any writer working in either scientific or literary form | [10] |
| 200,000 | DH 750,000 | Sheikh Zayed Book Award | Book | United Arab Emirates | Arabic | 7 awards each valued at AED 750,000 | [11] |
| 200,000 | US$200,000 | Saudi King Abdullah International Award for Translation | Author | Saudi Arabia | Arabic | 5 awards of 200,000 each (1 million total) | [12] |
| 175,000 | US$175,000 | Alfaguara Prize | Book | Spain | Spanish | [13] | |
| 175,000 | US$175,000 | Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes | Author | United States | English | Composed of eight awards of $175,000 each. | [14][15] |
| 164,000 | €150,000 | Premio Planeta de Novela (runner-up) | Book | Spain | Spanish | See also winner of same prize. | [16] |
| 150,000 | US$150,000 | Lannan Literary Awards | Author | United States | English | Composed of three awards of $150,000 each. Prize amount last verified for 2007. | [17] |
| 150,000 | US$150,000 | FIL Literature Award | Author | Mexico | Spanish | [18] | |
| 150,000 | US$150,000 | Carol Shields Prize for Fiction | Author | US | English | Prize awards works of fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States. | [19] |
| 146,000 | kr. 1,000,000 | Sonning Prize | Author* | Denmark | Any | Open to all arts not just writers. | [20] |
| 134,000 | €125,000 | Miguel de Cervantes Prize | Author | Spain | Spanish | [21] | |
| 134,000 | €125,000 | RBA Prize for Crime Writing | Book | Spain | Any | [22] | |
| 131,000 | €120,000 | Premio de Novela Fernando Lara | Book | Spain | Spanish | [23] | |
| 110,000 | €100,000 | Rómulo Gallegos Prize | Book | Venezuela | Spanish | [24] | |
| 110,000 | €100,000 | Premio Primavera de Novela | Book | Spain | Spanish | [25] | |
| 110,000 | €100,000 | International Dublin Literary Award | Book | Ireland | English | [26] | |
| 110,000 | €100,000 | Premio Novela Histórica Alfonso X El Sabio | Book | Spain | Spanish | [27] | |
| 110,000 | €100,000 | Camões Prize | Author | Portugal Brazil |
Portuguese | [28] | |
| 110,000 | €100,000 | Prémio Leya | Book | Portugal | Portuguese | [29][30][31] | |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Premio de Traducción Literaria Tomás Segovia | Author | Mexico | Spanish | Translator award | [32] |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding | Book | Qatar | Arabic | Translation award. Total award value is $2 million. | [33] |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Nigeria Prize for Literature | Book | Nigeria | English | [34][35] | |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Pritzker Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing | Author | United States | English | [36] | |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize | Author | United States | English | [37][38] | |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Wallace Stevens Award | Author | United States | English | [39] | |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature | Book | United States | English | [40] | |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | The Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards | Author | United States | English | [41] | |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Awards | Author | United Arab Emirates | Arabic | Composed of five awards of $100,000 each. | [42] |
| 100,000 | US$100,000 | Park Kyong-ni Prize | Author | South Korea | Any | [43] |
- Key
- Columns are sortable (click small square)
- Type: Book: Award is for a book title / Author: Award is for an author name
- (*) Award is not literary-specific but has some literary winners.
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
The following awards have a superlative claim within certain defined categories, as described and sourced in the Notes column.
| Equivalent in US$ (April 2016) |
Prize amount | Prize name | Type | Host country | Primary language | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 524,527 | kr 5,000,000 | Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award | Children's literature | Sweden | Any | The richest children's literature prize in the world.[44] |
| 138,180 | €125,000 | RBA Prize for Crime Writing | Crime fiction | Spain | Any | "The world's most lucrative crime fiction prize."[22] |
| 75,000 | US$75,000 | Cundill History Prize | Non-fiction and history | Canada | English | "the world's largest non-fiction purse"[45] |
| 55,270 | €50,000 | Premio de Narrativa Breve Ribera del Duero | Short story collection | Spain | Spanish | "the largest in the world for a competition of this kind".[46] |
| 39,358 | £30,000 | Sunday Times Short Story Award | Short story | United Kingdom | English | "The world's richest short story prize" (single short story).[47] |
| 38,081 | CA$50,000 | Montreal International Poetry Prize | Poetry | Canada | Any | Thought to be the world's richest award for a single-poem.[48] |
References
edit- ^ Pearson, Bryan (4 April 2008). "'Million's Poet' a runaway success". Variety.
- ^ "El Planeta del millón de euros acaba con el secreto de Carmen Mola". EFE. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ "Nobel Foundation raises the amount for this year's Nobel Prize awards to 11 million kronor". AP News. 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ "Dutch author Guus Kuijer wins Astrid Lindgren memorial award", Alison Flood, The Guardian, 20 March 2012. Quote: "... the world's richest children's books prize, the Astrid Lindgren memorial award."
- ^ Pearson, Bryan (14 September 2007). "Abu Dhabi TV crowns 'Prince of Poets'". Variety.
- ^ "Saudia Arabia'S Eyad Hakami Wins Prince of Poets Title and AED 1,000,000!". www.dayofdubai.com. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ Kuo, Christopher (October 23, 2023). "Thelma Golden Wins Gish Prize". New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ "Carlos Fuentes Literary Prize Created". Latin American Herald Tribune. July 4, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ "International Ibsen Award". International Ibsen Award. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- ^ Sabrina (2021-05-18). "World Editions - Maryse Condé Awarded the Prix Mondial Cino del Duca 2021". World Editions. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ https://scroll.in/article/1066374/sheikh-zayed-book-award-announces-the-2024-winners-in-seven-categories
- ^ Werner Bloch (October 19, 2012). "Big Words, Big Prize-Money". Qantara.de. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ Juan Gabriel Vásquez ganó el premio Alfaguara de novela Archived 2014-04-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Charles McGrath. "A Writer’s Estate to Yield $150,000 Literary Prizes", New York Times, June 17, 2011.
- ^ Carolyn Kellogg (June 20, 2011). "Yale to launch $150,000 writing award". LA Times. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ "Javier Moro Wins Spain's Planeta Prize". Latin American Herald Tribune. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ "Mike Davis recognized for literary achievements". UC Irvine. November 9, 2007. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ "FIL Prize in Romance Languages". Poets&Writers. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Hewitt, Chris (2024-05-15). "University of Minnesota professor V.V. Ganeshananthan wins $150,000 literary prize for 'Brotherless Night'". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ "Sonning Prize at the University of Copenhagen". University of Copenhagen. 24 November 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ David Carr (November 27, 2008). "Marse Wins Cervantes Prize". New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Giles Tremlett (3 September 2009). "Philip Kerr wins €125,000 RBA crime writing prize". The Guardian. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ "Premio de Novela Fernando Lara". PlanetadeLibros. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Alfonso Fernandez (2008). "Colombia's Ospina Receives Romulo Gallegos Lit Prize in Venezuela". Latin American Herald Tribune. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ "Premio Primavera de Novela website". PlanetadeLibros. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ "Dutch writer wins world's biggest literature prize". DutchNews.nl. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ "Premio Novela Histórica Alfonso X El Sabio". PlanetadeLibros. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ "Literature: Brazilian author Dalton Trevisan awarded "Camões Prize" – Portugal". Portuguese American Journal. 22 May 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ "Brasileiro Murilo Antonio Carvalho ganha Prêmio Leya de Literatura" (in Portuguese). Folha Online. October 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- ^ "Nuno Camarneiro vence Prémio LeYa" (in Portuguese). JL, Jornal de Letras, Artes e Ideias. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ^ "Gabriela Ruivo Trindade vence Prémio LeYa" (in Portuguese). Leya News. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ^ "Mexico creates prize to honor literary translators". Fox News. August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
- ^ "Hamad Award". Hamad Award. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ The Nigeria Prize for Literature Competition Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, official website.
- ^ Tolulope Odeyemi. "On the hundred thousand dollar prize" Archived 2011-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, Next, June 26, 2011
- ^ "Max Hastings Receives 2012 Pritzker Military Award". Publishers Weekly. Jun 19, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ "Awards" Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine, webpage maintained by The Poetry Foundation. Online version retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ Kinzer, Stephen (2004). "Poetry Starts to Wear $100 Million Crown", The New York Times October 7, 2004. Online version retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "Wallace Stevens Award". Academy of American Poets. Archived from the original on 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ^ Dennis Hevesi (August 10, 2012). "Sami Rohr, Jewish Philanthropist Remembered by a Writing Prize, Dies at 86". New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Dave Itzkoff (February 3, 2010). "$100,000 Poetry Prize Goes to D. A. Powell". New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Award for Scientific and Cultural Achievement Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, award criteria for Scientific and Cultural Achievement
- ^ Gili Izikovich (October 1, 2015). "Amos Oz Picked for South Korea's Top Literary Prize". Haaretz. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ Claire Armitstead (29 March 2011). "Shaun Tan wins Astrid Lindgren prize". The Guardian. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ "Chinese history title wins Cundill". BookBrunch. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ "Call For Award". riberadelduero.es. July 25, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ Staff writer (19 February 2012). "OMG: Text speak short story in running for £30,000 prize". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
- ^ Jeff Heinrich (March 31, 2011). "Your key to winning $50,000? Pure poetry". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
We realized that there's nothing on that scale for just one poem. And so there was an opportunity there. And when we started to think of it globally, that's when we realized how unique it could be.