National Book Award
One of America's most prestigious literary prizes, celebrating the best of American literature since 1950.
About the National Book Award
The National Book Awards are among the most prestigious literary awards in the United States. Administered by the National Book Foundation, they honor American authors for work published in the current year across four categories.
Winners receive $10,000 and a bronze sculpture, while finalists each receive $1,000 and a medal. The awards ceremony, the "Oscars of the literary world," is held each November in New York City.
Categories
- Fiction - Novels and short story collections
- Nonfiction - All nonfiction genres
- Poetry - Poetry collections
- Young People's Literature - Children's and YA
- Translated Literature - Added in 2018
Eligibility
- Author must be a U.S. citizen
- Book must be published by a U.S. publisher
- Published between December 1 and November 30
- Entry submitted by publisher
Recent National Book Award Winners - Fiction
| Year | Title | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Colored Television | Danzy Senna |
| 2023 | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store | James McBride |
| 2022 | Trust | Hernan Diaz |
| 2021 | The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois | Honorée Fanonne Jeffers |
| 2020 | Interior Chinatown | Charles Yu |
| 2019 | Trust Exercise | Susan Choi |