The National Book Award is one of the nation’s most prestigious literary prizes and has a stellar record of identifying and rewarding quality writing. In 1950, William Carlos Williams was the first Winner in Poetry, the following year William Faulkner was honored in Fiction, and so on through the years. Many previous Winners of a National Book Award are now firmly established in the canon of American literature, such as Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, Jonathan Franzen, Denis Johnson, Joyce Carol Oates, and Adrienne Rich.

The National Book Awards reward the best in American literature in four categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature. Eligible books must be published by U.S. publishers located in the United States between December 1 and November 30 of the previous calendar year. All authors must be U.S. citizens.

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