Literary prizes and book awards
This page links you to winners and nominees for a range of book prizes and awards.
Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.
New Zealand
2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlist
The shortlists are out for New Zealand's most prestigious literary awards.
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement
These awards recognise writers who have made a significant contribution to NZ literature. 3 categories: Poetry, Non-fiction, and Fiction.
Kathleen Grattan Award
Awarded biennially for an original book-length collection of poems by a New Zealand or Pacific resident or citizen.
New Zealand's national book awards
Our national book awards, which since 2016 have been known as the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, have gone by a number of different names as sponsors have changed over the years.
New Zealand Book Awards known previously as:
- 2010 - 2014: New Zealand Post Book Awards
- 1996 - 2009: Montana New Zealand Book Awards
- 1994 - 1995: Montana Book Awards
- 1976 - 1995: New Zealand Book Awards
- 1968 - 1993: Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards
International Non-fiction
Fiction literary prizes
Women's Prize for Non-Fiction
The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction is an annual book prize inaugurated in 2024 that celebrates exceptional narrative non-fiction by women.
National Book Critics Circle Awards (US)
The finalists have been announced in Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Biography, Autobiography / Memoir, and Criticism categories.
Reference and User Services Association: Notable books
Awarded annually as part of the RUSA Book and Media Awards (American Library Association), in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction
Recognises the best non-fiction for adult readers published in the US during the previous year. Find out the winner for 2024.
Business Book of the Year Award
Find compelling insights and enjoyable reading on modern business issues with the FT and Shroders Business Book of the Year Award winners.
Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize
The winner for this year's international prize for popular science writing has been announced.
The Baillie Gifford Prize
The 2023 winner of the most prestigious non-fiction prize in the United Kingdom has been announced.
American National Book Awards
The winners for 2023 have been announced in Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Translated literature and Young people’s literature.
David Cohen prize for literature
Awarded every two years to a living British or Irish writer in recognition of an entire body of work, written in the English language.
Hugo Award winners 2023
Find the best in Science Fiction & Fantasy with the winners and finalists of the Hugo Awards 2023.
Nobel Prize in Literature
The 2023 winner of this prestigious award has been announced: Jon Fosse.
James Tait Black Memorial Prize - Biography
The James Tait Black Prizes are Britain’s oldest literary awards. Find out the winning title and shortlist for this biography prize.
CWA Gold Dagger for Non-fiction
British Crime Writers Association award for a non-fiction work on a real-life crime theme or a closely-related subject.
Stonewall Book Awards
Winning titles from the American Library Association's annual awards for books relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.
Lambda Literary Award winners announced
The Lammys (US) celebrate the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender books of the year.
2023 Pulitzer Prizes
Winners and finalists in the categories of biography, memoir or autobiography, drama, fiction, poetry, history and general non-fiction.
International fiction
Fiction literary prizes
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction shortlist for 2024
The shortlist in the largest juried award for fiction in the US has been announced.
National Book Critics Circle Awards (US)
The finalists have been announced in Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Biography, Autobiography / Memoir, and Criticism categories.
Reference and User Services Association: Notable books
Awarded annually as part of the RUSA Book and Media Awards (American Library Association), in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
Recognises the best fiction for adult readers published in the United States during the previous year. The 2024 winner has been announced.
The Dublin Literary Award
The longlist has been announced for this international book prize for a novel written in English or translated into English.
Booker Prize 2023
The 2023 Booker Prize winner has been announced. It is 'Prophet Song' by Paul Lynch.
American National Book Awards
The winners for 2023 have been announced in Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Translated literature and Young people’s literature.
David Cohen prize for literature
Awarded every two years to a living British or Irish writer in recognition of an entire body of work, written in the English language.
James Tait Black Memorial Prize - Fiction
The James Tait Black Prizes are Britain’s oldest literary awards. Find out the winner and shortlisted titles this fiction prize.
Stonewall Book Awards
Winning titles from the American Library Association's annual awards for books relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.
Women's Prize for Fiction
Honours and celebrates fiction written by women and published in the U.K. The 2024 shortlist is out now.
Lambda Literary Award winners announced
The Lammys (US) celebrate the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender books of the year.
International Booker Prize 2023
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov and translated by Angela Rodel has won this prestigious prize for works of fiction translated into English
International Dylan Thomas Prize
Awarded to published authors in the English language under the age of 39. This year's winner has been announced.
2023 Pulitzer Prizes
Winners and finalists in the categories of biography, memoir or autobiography, drama, fiction, poetry, history and general non-fiction.
Granta Best of Young British Novelists
Starting in 1983 every decade British literary magazine Granta produces a list of Britain's best young novelists, usually under 40 years old
Genre fiction
Fiction literary prizes
Reference and User Services Association: Notable books
Awarded annually as part of the RUSA Book and Media Awards (American Library Association), in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
Recognises the best fiction for adult readers published in the United States during the previous year. The 2024 winner has been announced.
Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel
The winner for this year's Ngaio Marsh Award for the best crime novel by a New Zealand author is Remember me by Charity Norman.
Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel
View the winner of this year's prize as well as previous winners & finalists of the best first novel prize in NZ's crime writing awards.
World Fantasy Awards
The winner of the World Fantasy Awards (best novel category) has been announced.
Hugo Award winners 2023
Find the best in Science Fiction & Fantasy with the winners and finalists of the Hugo Awards 2023.
Anthony Awards
Find out the finalists and winner in the best novel category of the Anthony Awards, announced each year at the World Mystery Convention.
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature
Honours fantasy fiction for adults. This year's winner has been announced as When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb.
CWA Historical Dagger
The Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger is a British award for the best historical crime novel by an author of any nationality.
CWA Dagger Awards
Want to read award-winning crime and mystery fiction? Try the winners of the British Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards.
Bram Stoker Awards
International awards for horror writing named for the author of Dracula, Bram Stoker.
Women's Prize for Fiction
Honours and celebrates fiction written by women and published in the U.K. The 2024 shortlist is out now.
Sir Julius Vogel award winners 2023
Find out the winners in the annual awards for science fiction and fantasy creators from New Zealand.
Nebula Award winners
The best in Sci-fi and Fantasy, including Young Adult titles and movies, as decided by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
The winner of best novel in the Edgar Allen Poe Awards, as decided by the Mystery Writers of America.
Poetry prizes
2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlist
The shortlists are out for New Zealand's most prestigious literary awards.
Reference and User Services Association: Notable books
Awarded annually as part of the RUSA Book and Media Awards (American Library Association), in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement
These awards recognise writers who have made a significant contribution to NZ literature. 3 categories: Poetry, Non-fiction, and Fiction.
Kathleen Grattan Award
Awarded biennially for an original book-length collection of poems by a New Zealand or Pacific resident or citizen.
Prizes for new/young writers
Prizes given to writers under a certain age or for a first work or debut.
Prizes for new writers
Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel
View the winner of this year's prize as well as previous winners & finalists of the best first novel prize in NZ's crime writing awards.
The Betty Trask Prize and Awards announced
The winner of the annual British awards for debut novels by writers under 35 has been announced - Mercia's take by Daniel Wiles.
International Dylan Thomas Prize
Awarded to published authors in the English language under the age of 39. This year's winner has been announced.
Granta Best of Young British Novelists
Starting in 1983 every decade British literary magazine Granta produces a list of Britain's best young novelists, usually under 40 years old
Ceased prizes
Find winners and shortlists for earlier prizes that are no longer running.
- BNZ Literary Awards (formerly the Bank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield Awards - ceased in 2014)
- Commonwealth Writers (ceased in 2013)
- Costa Book Awards (formerly the Whitbread) (ceased in 2021)
- Guardian First Book Award (was Guardian Fiction Award - ceased in 2015)
- Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards (From 2018 the awards turned their focus to journalism and no longer give awards for books.)
- Prize in Modern Letters (ceased in 2008)
See also
More books, reading and literature
- New titles - Fiction
- Graphic novels and comics
- Printable author lists in a range of genres
- Tamariki - Kids
- Rangatahi - Teens
- Book clubs and reading groups
- Interviews and short biographies of authors, poets and journalists
- Best of the year
- Poetry
- Writing
- WORD Christchurch Festival and events
- Literary events
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