Awards Writers Should Know
We think the net is a tool. Sure it’s a community, a voice, an amplifier, but it was created as a tool. To that end we think that great writers will want to read great works.
They might be in a genre or literary fiction, but knowing and reading great works will help all writers. So here is a list of awards sites where writers can find some of the best books, stories and poetry. We are, so to speak, what we read. So on our top 102 sites for writers you find these awards.
11. Nobel Prize
Everyone knows the Nobel Prize in Literature, but the awards are sometimes hard to keep up with. Book mark this page. Check if once a year, if you can remember to do so. Out of all the books you read in a year, you have a little time for this years Nobel winner, right?
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/
12. The PEN/Faulkner Award
The PEN/Faulkner Award has been around since 1980. The prize is “by writers for writers.” The work chosen is always excellent and it is always worth knowing (and reading) who took the award this year.
http://www.penfaulkner.org/
13. National Book Award
Of all the awards this one is the one with the most prestige among writers. Yes the Pulitzer and the Nobel are a big deal, but the National Book is a big deal to other writers. In other words, many argue with the Pulitzer or the Nobel for being too much about politics and too little about the writing. The National Book Award is ALL about the writing.
http://nationalbook.org/
14. Book Critics
This award is not as prestigious as the National Book Award, but it’s still up there. If you are a “serious” writer of literary fiction you want to know or at least check out these books. It’s nice to see what your peers are writing and how other peers are judging.
http://bookcritics.org/
15.The Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal is perhaps the best known and most sought after award in the children’s book industry. It is always given to excellent works. If you write children’s books, you should know these winners.
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal
16. The Hugo awards
The Hugo Awards have been around since 1953. If you are a Science Fiction fan it’s good to look into these awards. It’s nice to know who is well loved in the science fiction world. The one difficulty here is that they give out this award in many categories, so it may take a little bit to get through all of them.
http://www.thehugoawards.org/
17. Best American Poetry
The last two “awards” on our list are not really awards per se. They are more along the lines as prestigious publications. The Best American Poetry has been picking the best poetry in America since 1988. The anthology has a guest editor every year (this editor is usually very high regarded in the world of poetry). That editor will go about picking the best poetry that year. Usually it is a very big deal to show up in this anthology for poetry. The reason we are putting this on the list is simple, the other awards here are for established writers of books or full length pieces. Best American Poetry awards some new writers for a single poem. So check out a copy once a year.
http://www.bestamericanpoetry.com/
18. Best American Short Stories
Best American Short Stories has been publishing since 1915. Some of the most famous writers in the last 100 years have guest edited this anthology, like John Updike, Stephen King, Raymond Carver and many more. This is an important anthology for short story writers. Think of it as The National book award for short stories.
http://www.hmhbooks.com/hmh/bestamerican/shortstories
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