Each year, book lovers and literary enthusiasts eagerly await the announcement of prestigious book awards. You’ve likely heard of the Pulitzer Prize, the Booker Prize, and the Newbery Medal, but have you explored the Nebula Awards or the PEN America Literary Awards? These awards celebrate a range of literary achievements, from science fiction and fantasy to socially engaged fiction, providing readers with outstanding book recommendations.
Major Book Awards to Know
If you’re looking for your next great read, award-winning books are a great place to start. Here’s a look at some well-known literary prizes:
Pulitzer Prize – Recognizes excellence in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Booker Prize – Celebrates the best novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland.
National Book Award – Although other categories have been recognized in the past, the Awards currently honor the best Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature, published each year.
Newbery Medal – Awarded annually to an outstanding work of children’s literature.
Nebula Awards – Honors the best in science fiction and fantasy, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.
PEN America Literary Awards – Recognizes socially engaged fiction that highlights issues of social justice.
For more comprehensive lists of literary awards, check out these resources:
2025 Award Highlights
Several prestigious book awards have already made their 2025 announcements, providing readers with a fresh selection of must-reads:
- Libby Award Winners: The best in digital reading, and span across ebooks, audiobooks, and a variety of genres
- Bram Stoker Award Nominees: Honoring excellence in horror literature.
- International Booker Prize Longlist: a selection of 13 superb works of long-form fiction, chosen from over 150 titles written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025.
- PEN/Faulkner Award Finalists: Honors the best published works of fiction by American permanent residents in a calendar year.
- Women’s Prize for Fiction and Nonfiction: Recognizing exceptional works by female writers.
Find Your Next Award-Winning Book
Library shelves are filled with past and present award-winning books waiting to be discovered. Whether you enjoy literary fiction, thrilling horror, compelling nonfiction, or imaginative science fiction, these awards offer excellent recommendations.
Stop by the library to check out this year’s winners and finalists, or ask a librarian for personalized suggestions. Happy reading!
