PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

Awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, this award “honors the best published works of fiction by American citizens in a calendar year.” For a complete list of all PEN/Faulkner winners and finalists, visit the PEN/Faulkner Foundation website.

2019 Award Winner

• Call Me Zebra, by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

2019 Award Finalists

• Tomb of the Unknown Racist, by Blanche M. Boyd
• The Overstory, by Richard Powers
• Love War Stories, by Ivelisse Rodriguez
• Don’t Skip Out On Me, by Willy Vlautin

Man Booker Prize

The Man Booker Prize “promotes the finest in fiction by rewarding the very best book of the year.” For a complete list of Man Booker recipients, visit the Man Booker Prize website.

2018 Recipient

• Milkman, by Anna Burns

2019 Short List

• The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood
• Ducks, Newburyport, by Lucy Ellman
• Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardine Evaristo
• An Orchestra of Minorities, by Chigozi Obioma
• Quichotte, by Salman Rushdie
• 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, by Elif Shafak

National Book Award

Awarded annually by the National Book Foundation, the National Book Award is given to recognize outstanding achievement in four genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature. For a list of past winners and nominees, visit the National Book Award website.

2019 Award For Fiction Winner

• Trust Exercise, by Susan Choi

2019  Fiction Finalists

• Sabrina & Corina, by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
• Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James
• The Other Americans, by Laila Lalami
• Disappearing Earth, by Julia Phillips

2019 Award for Poetry Winner

• Sight Lines, by Arthur Sze

2019 Poetry Finalists

• The Tradition, by Jericho Brown
• “I”: New and Selected Poems, by Toi Derricotte
• Deaf Republic, by Ilya Kaminsky
• Be Recorder, by Carmen Giménez Smith,

2019 Award for Nonfiction Winner

• The Yellow House, by Sarah M. Broom

2019 Nonfiction Finalists

• Thick: And Other Essays, by Tressie McMillan Cottom
• What You Have Heard is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance, by Carolyn Forché
• The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present, by David Treuer
• Solitary, by Albert Woodfox with Leslie George

2019 Award for Translated Literature Winner

• Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming, by László Krasznahorkai, Translated from Hungarian by Ottilie Mulzet

2019 Translated Literature Finalists

• Death Is Hard Work, by Khaled Khalifa, Translated from Arabic by Leri Price
•  The Barefoot Woman, by Scholastique Mukasonga, Translated from French by Jordan Stump
• The Memory Police, by Yoko Ogawa, Translated from Japanese by Stephen Snyder
• Crossing, by Pajtim Statovci, Translated from Finnish by David Hackston

2019 Award for Young People’s Literature Winner

• 1919: The Year That Changed America, by Martin W. Sandler

2019 Young People’s Literature Finalists

• Pet, by Akwaeke Emezi
• Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, by Jason Reynolds
• Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay
• Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All, by Laura Ruby

Pultizer Prize

Awarded annually in five categories for books (fiction, general nonfiction, history, biography/autobiography, and poetry), the Pulitzer Prize recognizes the best in letters and is considered by many the most prestigious award an author may receive. For a complete list of all Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, visit the Pulitzer Prize website.

2019 Fiction Award Winner

• Overstory, by Richard Powers

Finalists

• • The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai
  • There There, by Tommy Orange

2019 General Nonfiction Award Winner

• Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America, by Eliza Griswold

Finalists

• In a Day’s Work: The Fight to End Sexual Violence Against America’s Most Vulnerable Workers, by Bernice Yeung
• Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, by Elizabeth Rush

2019 History Award Winner

• Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight

Finalists

• American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic, by Victoria Johnson
• Civilizing Torture: An American Tradition, by W. Fitzhugh Brundage

2019 Biography Award Winner

• The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke, by Jeffrey C. Stewart

Finalists

• Proust’s Duchess: How Three Celebrated Women Captured the Imagination of  Fin-de-Siècle Paris, by Caroline Weber
• The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam, by Max Boot

2019 Poetry Award Winner

• Be With, by Forrest Gander

Finalists

• feeld, by Jos Charles
• Like, by A. E. Stallings

Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

National Book Critics Circle Award

Recognizing “the finest books and reviews published in English”, The National Book Critics Circle Awards are given annually in six categories: fiction, general nonfiction, biography, autobiography, poetry, and criticism. For a list of past winners and nominees, visit the National Book Critics Circle Award website.

2018 Fiction Award

• Milkman, by Anna Burns

Finalists

• Slave Old Man, by Patrick Chamoiseau, translated by Linda Coverdale
• The Largesse of the Sea Maiden, by Denis Johnson
• The Mars Room, by Rachel Kushner
• The House of Broken Angels, by Luis Alberto Urrea

2018 Nonfiction Award

• Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan, by Steve Coll

Finalists

• The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border, by Francisco Cantú
• The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
• We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights, by Adam Winkler
• God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State, by Lawrence Wright

2018 Autobiography Award

• Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home, by Nora Krug

Finalists

• The Day That Went Missing: A Family’s Story, by Richard Beard
• All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir, by Nicole Chung
• What Drowns the Flowers in Your Mouth: A Memoir of Brotherhood, by Rigoberto Gonzalez
• Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over, by Nell Painter
• Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

2018 Biography Award

• Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous, by Christopher Bonanos

Finalists

• Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret, by Craig Brown
•  Inseparable: The Original Siamese Twins and Their Rendezvous with American History, by Yunte Huan
• The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century, by Mark Lamster
• The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created, by Jane Leavy

Criticism

• Feel Free, by Zadie Smith

Finalists

• Is It Still Good to Ya?: Fifty Years of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017, by Robert Christgau
• Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics, by Stephen Greenblatt
• To Float in the Space Between: A Life and Work in Conversation with the Life and Work of Etheridge Knight, by Terrance Hayes
• The Reckonings: Essays, by Lacy M. Johnson

Poetry

• The Carrying, by Ada Limón

Finalists

• American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin, by Terrance Hayes
• Holy Moly Carry Me, by Erika Meitner
• Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl, by Diane Seuss
• Asymmetry, by Adam Zagajewski,  translated by Clare Cavanagh

John Leonard Prize

• There There, by Tommy Orange

Finalists

• Friday Black, by Nana Kwami Adjei-Brenyah
• A Lucky Man, by Jamel Brinkley
• The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border, by Francisco Cantú
• Asymmetry: A Novel, by Lisa Halliday
• The Incendiaries, by R.O. Kwon
• Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award

The Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award began 1998 to encourage reading for students in Grades K-3. The award was established to encourage reading for students in Grades K-3. Like the Charlie May Simon Awards, the award is selected by an annual vote. Children in Grades K-3 must have read at least three of the titles from the annual reading list and select one title. For a complete list of all Arkansas Diamond winners, visit the Arkansas State Library website.

2019 Award Winner

• Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, by Lisa Papp

2nd Place

• Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-soaking Stream of Inventions, by Chris Barton

3rd Place

• The Quickest Kid in Clarksville, by Pat Zietlow Miller

Charlie May Simon Award

The Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award for children’s literature has been presented annually since 1971 to an author whose book has been selected through a vote taken by Arkansas school children in grades four, five and six. The purpose of the award is to promote better reading for children and to recognize Mrs. John Gould Fletcher, an outstanding Arkansas author who wrote under the pen name Charlie May Simon. For a complete list of all Charlie Simon Award winners, visit the Arkansas State Library website.

2019 Award Winner

• Wish, by Barbara O’Connor

2nd Place

• Soar, by Joann Bauer

3rd Place

• All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, by Leslie Connor

Arkansas Teen Book Award

The purpose of this award is to encourage young adults across Arkansas to read.  The award recognizes books in two divisions: Level 1, 7th-9th grade and Level 2, 10th-12th grade. For a complete list of all Arkansas Teen Book Award winners, visit the Arkansas State Library website.

2019 Winner Level 1 (Grades 7-9)

• Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds

2019 Level 1 Honorable Mentions

• The Forgetting, by Sharon Cameron
• Refugee, by Alan Gratz

2019 Winner Level 2 (Grades 10-12)

• The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

2019 Level 2 Honorable Mentions

• One of Us is Lying, by Karen M. McManus
• Warcross, by Marie Lu

Pura Belpré Award

Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, and by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, the Pura Belpré Award is given to the “Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth”. For a complete list of all Belpré winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2020 Author Award winner:

• Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, written by Carlos Hernandez

2020 Author Honor Books

• Lety Out Loud, written by Angela Cervantes
• The Other Half of Happy, written by Rebecca Balcárcel
• Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, written by Anika Aldamuy Denise
• Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War, written by Duncan Tonatiuh, illustrated by the author

2020 Illustrator Award winner:

• Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln, illustrated by Rafael López,

2020 Illustrator Honor Books

• Islandborn, illustrated by Leo Espinosa, written by Junot Díaz
• When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, illustrated by Jose Ramirez, written by Michael Mahin

Caldecott Medal

Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Caldecott Medal is given to “the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in English in the United States during the preceding year.” For a complete list of all Caldecott winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2020 Award Winner

• The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Kwame Alexander,

2020 Honor Books

• Bear Came Along, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, written by Richard T. Morris
• Double Bass Blues, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, written by Andrea J. Loney
• Going Down Home with Daddy, illustrated by Daniel Minter, written by Kelly Starling Lyons

Geisel Award

Named in honor of Theoder Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, the Geisel Award is given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to “the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year”. For a complete list of all Geisel winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2019 Award Winner

• Fox the Tiger, written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor

2019 Honor Books

• The Adventures of Otto: See Pip Flap, written and illustrated by David Milgrim
• Fox + Chick: The Party and Other Stories, written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
• King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth, written by Dori Hillestad Butler
• Tiger vs. Nightmare, written and illustrated by Emily Tetri

Sibert Medal

Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Sibert Medal is given to “author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished book published in English during the preceding year”. For a complete list of all Sibert winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2019 Award Winner

• The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science, written by Joyce Sidman

2019 Honor Books

• Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild, written by Catherine Thimmesh
• Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America, written by Gail Jarrow
• The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees, written and Illustrated by Don Brown
• We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, written by Traci Sorell
• When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, written by Michael Mahin, illustrated by Jose Ramirez

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. For a complete list of all Newbery winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2019 Medal Winner

• Merci Suárez Changes Gears, written by Meg Medina

2019 Honor Books

• The Night Diary, written by Veera Hiranandani
• The Book of Boy, written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Mildred L. Batchelder Award

2019 Honor Books

• Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure, published by NorthSouth Books, Inc., written by Torben Kuhlmann, illustrated by Torben Kuhlmann, and translated by David Henry Wilson
• Jerome By Heart, published by Enchanted Lion Books, written by Thomas Scotto illustrated by Olivier Tallec, and translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick and Karin Snelson
• My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder, published by Graphic Universe, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., written and illustrated by Nie Jun, and translated by Edward Gauvin
• Run For Your Life, published by Yonder, an imprint of Restless Books, Inc., written by Silvana Gandolfi, translated by Lynne Sharon Schwartz

Coretta Scott King Award

Awarded annually by the American Library Association, the King Award is given to “African American authors and illustrators for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions”. For a complete list of all King Award winners and honor books, visit the ALA website.

2019 Author Winner

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919, by Claire Hartfield,

Author Honor Books

• Finding Langston, by Lesa Cline-Ransome
• The Parker Inheritance, by Varian Johnson
• The Season of Styx Malone, by Kekla Magoon

2019 Illustrator Winner

The Stuff of Stars, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, written by Marion Dane Bauer

Illustrator Honor Books

• Hidden Figures, illustrated by Laura Freeman, written by Margot Lee Shetterly
• Let the Children March, illustrated by Frank Morrison, written by Monica Clark-Robinson
• Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Alice Faye Duncan

2019 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Author)

• Monday’s Not Coming, by Tiffany D. Jackon

2019 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Illustrator)

• Thank You, Omu, by Oge Mora

Edgar Awards

Named in honor of Edgar Allan Poe, the Edgar is given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition of excellence in mystery fiction and nonfiction. For a complete list of Edgar winners and nominees, visit the Edgar Awards website.

2019 Novel Award Winner

• Down the River Unto the Sea, by Walter Mosley

2020 Best Novel Nominees

• Fake Like Me, by Barbara Bourland
• The Stranger Diaries, by Elly Griffiths
• The River, by Peter Heller
• Smoke and Ashes, by Abir Mukherjee
• Good Girl, Bad Girl, by Michael Robothan

2019 First Novel Winner

• Bearskin, by James A. McLaughlin

2020 Best First Novel Nominees

• My Lovely Wife, by Samantha Downing
• Miracle Creek, by Angie Kim
• The Good Detective, by John McMahon
• The Secrets We Kept, by Lara Prescott
• Three-fifths, by John Vercher

2019 Fact Crime Winner

• Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation, by Robert W. Fieseler

2020 Best Fact Crime Nominees

• The Ghosts of Eden Park, by Karen Abbott
• The Less People Know About Us, by Axton Betz-Hamilton
• American Predator, by Maureen Callahan
• Norco ’80, by Peter Houlahan
• Indecent Advances, by James Polchin

2019 Best Paperback Original Winner

• If I Die Tonight, by Alison Gaylin

2020 Best Paperback Original Nominees

• Dread of Winter, by Susan Alice Bickford
• Freedom Road, by William Lashner
• Blood Relations, by Jonathan Moore
• February’s Son, by Alan Parks
• The Hotel Neversink, by Adam O’Fallon Prince
• The Bird Boys, by Lisa Sandlin

2019 Best Critical/Biographical Winner

• Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s, by Leslie S. Klinger

 2020 Best Critical/Biographical Nominees

• Hitchcock and the Censors, by John Billheimer
• Beyond the Thirty Nine Steps, by Ursula Buchan
• The Hooded Gunman: An Illustrated History of Collins Crime Club, by John Curran
• Medieval Crime Fiction: A Critical Overview, by Anne McKendry
• The Mutual Admiration Society by Mo Moulton

2019 Best Juvenile Winner

• Otherwood, by Pete Hautman

2020 Best Juvenile Nominees

• • The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster, by Cary Fagan
  • Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu
  • The Whispers by Greg Howard
  • All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker
  • Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse by Susan Vaught

2019 Best Young Adult Winner

• Sadie, by Courtney Summers

2020 Best Young Adult Nominees

• Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer
• Killing November by Adriana Mather
• Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
• The Deceivers by Kristen Simmons
• Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas

2019 Mary Higgins Clark Award Winner

• The Widows of Malabar Hill, by Sujata Massey

2020 Mary Higgins Clark Award Nominees

• The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman
• One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski
• Strangers at the Gate by Catriona McPherson
• Where the Missing Go by Emma Rowley
• The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan

The Hugo Awards

Given by the members of the World Science Fiction Society, the Hugo Awards recognize excellence in the genre of science fiction and fantasy. For a complete list of past winners and nominees, visit the Hugo Awards website.

2019 Best Novel

• The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal

2019 Finalists

• Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik
• Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers
• Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Revenant Gun, by Yoon Ha Lee
• Space Opera, by Catherynne M. Valente

2019 Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book Winner

• Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi

2019 Finalists

• Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland
• Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman
• The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black
• The Invasion, by Peadar O’Guilin
• The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton

Nebula Awards

Presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Nebula Awards “celebrate excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing”. For a complete list of past winners and nominees, visit the Nebula Awards website.

2018 Best Novel Winner

• The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal

2018 Best Novel Nominees

• The Poppy War, by R. F. Kuang
• Blackfish City, by Sam J. Miller
• Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik
• Witchmark, by C. L. Polk
• Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

2018 Winner

• Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi

2018 Nominees

• Aru Shah and the End of Time, by Roshani Chokshi
• A Light in the Dark, by A. K. DuBoff,
• Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman
• Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland
• Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien

Thurber Prize for American Humor

Given annually by the Thurber House, the Thurber Prize for American Humor recognizes works of humorous fiction and non-fiction written by American citizens. For a complete list of past winners and nominees, visit the Thurber Prize website.

2018 Winner

• Priestdaddy, by Patricia Lockwood

2019 Finalists

• Look Alive Out There, by  Sloane Crossley
• Love Poems (for Married People), by John Kenney
• Hits and Misses, by Simon Rich