Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.
The National Book Awards have been awarded every November by the National Book Foundation in the United States since 1950. We list winners from 1990, and winners and finalists for the last three years.
See the other National Book Awards category winners and all the other literary prize winners we list.
2024
- Something about living Lena Khalaf Tuffaha Winner
- Wrong Norma Anne Carson
- [...]: Poems Fady Joudah
- Mother M. S. Redcherries
- Modern poetry Diane Seuss
2023
- from unincorporated territory [åmot] Craig Santos Perez Winner
- How to Communicate John Lee Clark
- suddenly we Evie Shockley
- Tripas Brandon Som
- From From Monica Youn
2022
-
Punks: New & Selected Poems John Keene Winner
- Look at This Blue Allison Adelle Hedge Coke
- Balladz Sharon Olds
- Best Barbarian Roger Reeves
- The Rupture Tense Jenny Xie
2021
- Floaters Martín Espada Winner
- What Noise Against the Cane Desiree C. Bailey
- Sho Douglas Kearney
- A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure Hoa Nguyen
- The Sunflower Cast a Spell to Save Us from the Void Jackie Wang
2020
- DMZ Colony Don Mee Choi Winner
- A Treatise on Stars Mei-mei Berssenbrugge
- Fantasia for the Man in Blue Tommye Blount
- Borderland Apocrypha Anthony Cody
- Postcolonial Love Poem Natalie Diaz
2019
- Sight Lines Arthur Sze Winner
- The Tradition Jericho Brown
- “I”: New and Selected Poems Toi Derricotte
- Deaf Republic Ilya Kaminsky
- Be Recorder Carmen Giménez Smith
2018
- Indecency Justin Phillip Reed Winner
- Wobble Rae Armantrout
- American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin Terrance Hayes
- Ghost Of Diana Khoi Nguyen
- Eye Level Jenny Xie
2017
- Half-light: Collected Poems 1965-2016 Frank Bidart Winner
- The Book of Endings Leslie Harrison
- WHEREAS Layli Long Soldier
- In the Language of My Captor Shane McCrae
- Don’t Call Us Dead: Poems Danez Smith
2016
- The Performance of Becoming Human Daniel Borzutzky Winner
- Collected Poems 1974 – 2004 Rita Dove
- Archeophonics Peter Gizzi
- The Abridged History of Rainfall Jay Hopler
- Look Solmaz Sharif
2015
- Voyage of the sable Venus Robin Coste Lewis Winner
- Catalog of unabashed gratitude Ross Gay
- How to be drawn Terrance Hayes
- Bright dead things Ada Limón
- Elegy for a broken machine Patrick Phillips
2014
-
Faithful and virtuous night Louise Glück Winner
- Second childhood Fanny Howe
- This blue Maureen N. McLane
- The Feel Trio Fred Moten
- Citizen: an American lyric Claudia Rankine
2013
- Incarnadine: poems Mary Szybist Winner
- Metaphysical dog Frank Bidart
- Stay, illusion Lucie Brock-Broido
- The big smoke Adrian Matejka
- Black aperture Matt Rasmussen
2012
- Bewilderment: new poems and translations David Ferry Winner
- Heavenly bodies Cynthia Huntington
- Fast animal Tim Seibles
- Night of the republic Alan Shapiro
- Meme Susan Wheeler
2011
- Head off & split Nikky Finney Winner
2010
- Lighthead Terrance Hayes Winner
2009
- Transcendental studies: a trilogy Keith Waldrop Winner
2008
- Fire to fire: new and collected poems Mark Doty Winner
2007
- Time and materials Robert Hass Winner
2006
- Splay anthem Nathaniel Mackey Winner
2005
- Migration: new and selected poems W. S. Merwin Winner
2004
- Door in the mountain: new and collected poems 1965-2003 Jean Valentine Winner
2003
- The singing C. K. Williams Winner
2002
- In the next galaxy Ruth Stone Winner
2001
- Poems seven: new and complete poetry Alan Dugan Winner
2000
- Blessing the boats: new and selected poems 1988-2000 Lucille Clifton Winner
1999
- Vice: new and selected poems Ai Winner
1998
- This time: new and selected poems Gerald Stern Winner
1997
- Effort at speech: new and selected poems William Meredith Winner
1996
- Scrambled eggs and whiskey Hayden Carruth Winner
1995
- Passing through Stanley Kunitz Winner
1994
- Worshipful company of fletchers James Tate Winner
1993
- Garbage A. R. Ammons Winner
1992
- New and selected poems Mary Oliver Winner
1991
- What work is A.R. Ammons Winner
1990
- No award
