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
Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel
The longlist for the best New Zealand crime for 2025 has been announced.
2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards
The winners have been announced for New Zealand's most prestigious literary awards.
Sir Julius Vogel award winners 2025
Find out the winners in the annual awards for science fiction and fantasy creators from New Zealand.
Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel
The longlist for the best New Zealand crime for 2025 has been announced.
2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards
The winners have been announced for New Zealand's most prestigious literary awards.
Sir Julius Vogel award winners 2025
Find out the winners in the annual awards for science fiction and fantasy creators from New Zealand.
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
Non Fiction literary prizes
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.
2025 Pulitzer Prizes
Winners and finalists in the categories of biography, memoir or autobiography, drama, fiction, poetry, history and general non-fiction.
Women's Prize for Non-Fiction
An annual book prize that celebrates exceptional narrative non-fiction by women. The 2025 winner has been announced.
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 2025.
National Book Critics Circle Awards (US)
The finalists have been announced in Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Biography, Autobiography / Memoir, and Criticism categories.
Business Book of the Year Award winner announced
Find compelling insights and enjoyable reading on modern business issues with the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award winners.
American National Book Awards
The winners for 2024 have been announced in Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Translated literature and Young people’s literature.
The Baillie Gifford Prize
The 2024 winner of the most prestigious non-fiction prize in the United Kingdom is Question 7 by Australian author Richard Flanagan.
Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize
The winner for this year's international prize for popular science writing has been announced. It's A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weiners
Nobel Prize in Literature
The 2024 winner of this prestigious award is South Korean writer Han Kang.
Hugo Award winners 2024
Find the best in Science Fiction & Fantasy with the winners and finalists of the Hugo Awards 2024.
Lambda Literary Award winners announced
The Lammys (US) celebrate the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender books of the year.
James Tait Black Memorial Prize - Biography
The James Tait Black Prizes are Britain’s oldest literary awards. Find out the winning shortlisted titles for this biography prize.
Stonewall Book Awards
Winning titles from the American Library Association's annual awards for books relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.
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.
International fiction
Fiction literary prizes
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.
The Betty Trask Prize and Awards winner announced
The winner of the annual British awards for debut novels "in a traditional or romantic style" by writers under 35 has been announced.
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.
Women's Prize for Fiction
Honours and celebrates fiction written by women and published in the U.K. The 2025 winner has been announced.
The Dublin Literary Award
The 2025 winner of this international book prize for a novel written in or translated into English has been announced.
International Booker Prize 2025
The 2025 winner has been announced in this prize for works of fiction translated into English.
2025 Pulitzer Prizes
Winners and finalists in the categories of biography, memoir or autobiography, drama, fiction, poetry, history and general non-fiction.
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
The winner of best novel in the Edgar Allen Poe Awards, as decided by the Mystery Writers of America.
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction 2025
The winner in the largest juried award for fiction in the US has been announced.
International Dylan Thomas Prize
Awarded to published authors in the English language under the age of 39. This year's shortlist has been announced.
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 2025 winner 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.
American National Book Awards
The winners for 2024 have been announced in Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Translated literature and Young people’s literature.
Booker Prize 2024
The 2024 Booker Prize winner has been announced. It is science fiction novel, Orbital, by Samantha Harvey.
Genre fiction
Fiction literary prizes
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.
Sir Julius Vogel award winners 2025
Find out the winners in the annual awards for science fiction and fantasy creators from New Zealand.
Hugo Award winners 2024
Find the best in Science Fiction & Fantasy with the winners and finalists of the Hugo Awards 2024.
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature
Honours fantasy fiction for adults. This year's winner has been announced as Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe by Emma Törzs.
Bram Stoker Awards
International awards for horror writing named for the author of Dracula, Bram Stoker. We list the best novel winner for each year.
Poetry prizes
Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA)
Annual UK award presented for published poetry for children published in the previous year.
2025 Pulitzer Prizes
Winners and finalists in the categories of biography, memoir or autobiography, drama, fiction, poetry, history and general non-fiction.
International Dylan Thomas Prize
Awarded to published authors in the English language under the age of 39. This year's shortlist has been announced.
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement
These awards recognise writers who have made a significant contribution to NZ literature in 3 categories: Poetry, Non-fiction, and Fiction.
Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA)
Annual UK award presented for published poetry for children published in the previous year.
2025 Pulitzer Prizes
Winners and finalists in the categories of biography, memoir or autobiography, drama, fiction, poetry, history and general non-fiction.
International Dylan Thomas Prize
Awarded to published authors in the English language under the age of 39. This year's shortlist has been announced.
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement
These awards recognise writers who have made a significant contribution to NZ literature in 3 categories: Poetry, Non-fiction, and Fiction.
Prizes for new/young writers
Prizes given to writers under a certain age or for a first work or debut.
Prizes for new writers
The Betty Trask Prize and Awards winner announced
The winner of the annual British awards for debut novels "in a traditional or romantic style" by writers under 35 has been announced.
International Dylan Thomas Prize
Awarded to published authors in the English language under the age of 39. This year's shortlist has been announced.
Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel
The winner of the best first novel prize in NZ's crime writing awards 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
The Betty Trask Prize and Awards winner announced
The winner of the annual British awards for debut novels "in a traditional or romantic style" by writers under 35 has been announced.
International Dylan Thomas Prize
Awarded to published authors in the English language under the age of 39. This year's shortlist has been announced.
Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel
The winner of the best first novel prize in NZ's crime writing awards 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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