The most prestigious literary awards.

11.05.2019

Thousands of literary awards are held annually around the world. Millions of applications are submitted to participate in them. The awards are held on a national and global scale, in different categories: children's literature, poetry, fiction and non-fiction, science fiction and fantasy.


From 1969 to 2001, the award was known as the Booker Prize. Since 2005, the Man Group has been the main sponsor of the award and the award has been renamed the Man Booker Prize. The award is presented every two years. Initially, the Booker Prize only accepted entries from the Commonwealth, Zimbabwe and Ireland. But since 2014, the award has acquired international status, which made it possible to expand the list of participants - a writer from any country whose novel is written in English can become a nominee. You can only become a laureate once. The cash prize is 60 thousand pounds sterling. The International Prize has a separate award for the translation of a novel. Since 2016, the Booker Prize has been awarded for the translation of a fiction novel, with the winning author and translator receiving £50,000.


The man credited with founding the Pulitzer Prize was Joseph Pulitzer, a respected journalist from a wealthy family who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The award is given for work in the field of music, literature and journalism, while it is taken into account in the Internet space and print media - newspapers and magazines. The Pulitzer Prize is administered by Columbia University and is awarded in 21 categories. The winners of 20 categories are awarded a certificate and $15,000. A gold medal is awarded to one winner by the Department of Public Service of the journalism competition. The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was founded in 1918. The first recipient of the award was Ernest Poole. He received an award for his novel "His Family".


Another prestigious literary award, the Neustadt Prize, originated in the United States in 1969. It received its original name "International Prize for Foreign Literature" from its founder, the editor of foreign books, Ivar Ivask. The award changed its name in 1976 and was named after the new sponsors, Walter and Doris Neustadt of Ardmore, Oklahoma. Since that time, the University of Oklahoma has been a permanent sponsor of the award. The winner of the award receives a certificate, an award in the form of a silver eagle feather and $50,000. The award is given for outstanding work in the field of drama, poetry and fiction.


The award was established in 1971 under the name of the Whitbread Prize. In 2006, Costa Coffee became the official sponsor of the award, which led to its renaming to the Costa award. Applicants may be authors from the UK and Ireland, whose works are written in English. The award recognizes not only brilliant and outstanding works in the field of literature, but also books that bring pleasure to reading. Promoting reading as an enjoyable pastime is one of the main goals of the award. The award is given in the following categories: Biography, Novel, Children's Literature, Best First Novel and Poetry. The winners receive £5,000 each.


The American Prize for Literature was introduced in 1994. It is awarded to authors who have contributed to the field of international writing. In part, the prize was created as an alternative to the famous Nobel Prize in Literature. The award is sponsored by an educational project of contemporary art. The award itself was founded in memory of Anna Farney. Every year, 6 to 8 jury members, including prominent American literary critics, playwrights, poets and writers, gather to determine the winner. The laureate does not receive any monetary prize for the victory.


This award is one of the most coveted literary awards in the United Kingdom. The original name is the Orange Literary Prize. The award is presented annually to a female author, regardless of nationality, for an outstanding full-length novel published in the UK in the past year in English. In 1991, the Booker Prize marked the beginning of the Women's Prize for Fiction because the committee did not include women on its list of nominees. After that, a group of men and women working in the literary industry met and considered their next steps. The winner of the award receives 30,000 British pounds and a bronze statuette.


The Hugo Award is named after Hugo Gernsbeck, the man behind the science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. The award is given to the best work published in the past year and written in the genres of science fiction or fantasy. The Hugo Award is sponsored by the World Science Fiction Society.

The award has been presented at the annual World Science Fiction Convention since 1953 in several categories, including: Best Short Novel, Best Graphic Story, Best Fanzine, Best Professional Artist, Best Fancast, Best Dramatic Presentation and Best Fantasy Book.


The award was established in July 2008 by the University of Warwick. It has no analogues in the world and consists of an interdisciplinary writing competition. Students, alumni and employees of the University of Warwick, as well as employees of the publishing industry, can nominate work for the nomination. Each year, a new theme is approved for the award. must be written in English.


Every year in Struga, Macedonia, an international poetry festival takes place. The most talented international poets receive the coveted award of the Golden Crown festival. The first festival was held in 1961 with the participation of famous Macedonian poets. A few years later, in 1966, the festival was transformed from a national into an international one. In the same year, the highest award of the Golden Crown Prize was established, the first winner of which was Robert Rozhdestvensky. Over the years of the award, its laureates have become such prominent literary figures as Seamus Haney, Joseph Brodsky and Pablo Neruda.


The Nobel Prize is named after Albert Nobel, a man who made significant contributions in the fields of chemistry, literature, engineering, and entrepreneurship in the 1800s. Already at the age of 17, he was fluent in 5 foreign languages. In his will, Albert Nobel stipulated the conditions for the establishment of the prize and allocated his own money for this. All Nobel Prizes are controlled by different institutions. The Nobel Prize in Literature is administered by the Swedish Academy. The winner receives a medal and a cash prize, the size of which varies from year to year. The Academy determines the people and institutions that may be nominated for the award. I have the right to put forward my candidacy professors of literature and linguistics of higher educational institutions, winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature and members of the Swedish Academy. The Nobel Committee for Literature verifies candidates and passes the collected information to the Swedish Academy. The prize has been awarded since 1901 to writers from different countries.

Literary Awards Facts - Video

Short facts about the most famous awards in the field of literature:

In the literary world, a wide variety of prizes are awarded: in the field of poetry and prose, drama and fantasy, lyrics and detective. However, not every award testifies to the quality of the literature that was awarded.

Recognized awards collected in our Top 10 Most Prestigious Literary Awards. Among the winners of these awards, you can safely choose books worthy of reading.

The award was established in the United States by emigrants from Russia in 1999. It is awarded for contribution to the development of Russian-American culture and strengthening of international relations between countries. The winners were V. Aksenov, M. Epshtein, V. Bachanyan, O. Vasiliev.

9. H.K. Andersen

This award is given in the field of children's literature, both for the works themselves and for the illustrations to them. The winners of the award were Astrid Lindgren, Tove Jansson, Gianni Rodari.

8.

The annual literature award is presented to laureates selected both by popular vote and by an expert commission. The winners of the Runet Book Prize 2013 have already been named on the pages.

7. Russian Booker

This award is given for the best novel in Russian. The winners of the Russian Booker were Bulat Okudzhava, Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Vasily Aksenov. Along with the main prize, the Student Booker is also awarded, the jury of which includes students and graduate students.

6. Southeast Asia Literary Award

This international literary prize is awarded for the best poetry and prose works by authors from ASEAN countries. The chairman of the organizing committee of the award is the Prince of Thailand Prem Purachatra.

5. ABS Premium

The Arkady and Boris Strugatsky Prize is awarded for the best science fiction works written in Russian. The winners of the award are Evgeny Lukin, Kir Bulychev, Dmitry Bykov.

4. Booker Prize

This award for many is the most prestigious in the world of English-language literature. The winner is presented with a check for the amount of 50,000 British pounds. Four times in history, Booker laureates have also received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

3. Goncourt Prize

The French Literary Prize has been awarded annually since 1903. According to the charter, the prize can be awarded to any author only once during his lifetime. Over the years, the Goncourt Prize was awarded to Marcel Proust, Simone de Beauvoir, Alphonse de Chateaubriand.

2. Pulitzer Prize

This American prize has been awarded since 1911. The main prize is 10 thousand US dollars. Despite the fact that the winners almost never make it to the book bestseller lists, the award is considered one of the most prestigious in the literary world.

1. Nobel Prize in Literature

This prestigious award is presented annually for achievements in the field of literature. Most of the winners are writers from Europe and the United States, so the award is often criticized for being biased. Among Russian authors, Boris Pasternak, Mikhail Sholokhov, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Top 15 literary awards, the winners and nominees of which are worth paying your close reader's attention to. If you're wondering what to read, check it out!

1. National Literary Award "Big Book"

The award was established in 2005 and is one of the most prestigious awards for large-format works published in Russian in the reporting year.
The winners of the award in different years were Dmitry Bykov, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Leonid Yuzefovich, Vladimir Makanin, Pavel Basinsky, Mikhail Shishkin, Zakhar Prilepin.
The award jury consists of about 100 people, which ensures the independence and breadth of the award's expertise. The monetary fund is 5.5 million rubles, of which 3 million - the winner of the first prize. Becoming a laureate of this award is not only about attracting readers' attention to a book, but also about increasing consumer demand.

2. Nobel Prize in Literature

On the one hand, the award, established by the Swedish chemical engineer, inventor of dynamite and industrialist Alfred Nobel, is the most prestigious in the world. On the other hand, it is one of the most controversial, criticized and discussed peace prizes. Many critics consider the award politicized and biased. However, whatever one may say, the writer to whom it is awarded wakes up famous all over the world in the morning, and sales of his books increase dramatically.
Russian writers received the prize five times: 1933 - Bunin, 1958 - Pasternak (who refused the prize), 1965 - Sholokhov, 1970 - Solzhenitsyn, 1987 - Brodsky.

3 Pulitzer Prize

One of the most honored awards in the United States in the field of literature, journalism, music and theater, consistently attracting the interest of readers around the world.

4. Booker Prize

It is rightfully considered one of the most prestigious literary prizes awarded for a work written in English. Salman Rushdie, Richard Flanagan, Kazuo Ishiguro, Iris Murdoch, Julian Barnes, Coetzee, Ondaatje and many others. The list of laureates since 1969 is impressive, some of them later became Nobel laureates in literature.

5. Goncourt Prize for Literature

The main French literary prize, established in 1896 and awarded since 1902, is awarded to the author of the best novel or short story collection of the year in French, but not necessarily living in France. The award fund is symbolic, but its award brings the author fame, recognition and growth in sales of his books.

The prize winners were Marcel Proust (1919), Maurice Druon (1948), Simone de Beauvoir (1954).

6. Prize "Yasnaya Polyana"

Established in 2003 by the museum-estate of Leo Tolstoy "Yasnaya Polyana" with the support of Samsung Electronics.

It is awarded in four nominations: “Modern Classics”, “XXI century” - the winner of 2015 was “Zuleikha opens her eyes” by Guzeli Yakhina, “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” and “Foreign Literature”.

7. Prize "Enlightener"

The Enlightener Award for the best popular science book in Russian was established in 2008 by the founder and Honorary President of VimpelCom (Beeline trademark) Dmitry Zimin and the Dynasty Foundation for non-commercial programs in order to attract readers' attention to the educational genre, to encourage authors and creating prerequisites for expanding the educational literature market in Russia.

8. Writer of the Year Award

The National Literary Award "Writer of the Year" was established by the Russian Union of Writers in order to find new talented authors who can contribute to modern literature. Laureates receive contracts for the publication of their works funded by the Russian Union of Writers. Competitive selection of authors is carried out on the literary portal Proza.ru.

9. National award "Russian Booker"

The award was established in 1992 at the initiative of the British Council in Russia as the Russian analogue of the Booker Prize and is awarded for the best novel in Russian published in the reporting year. Its laureates were Bulat Okudzhava, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Vasily Aksenov.

10. National Bestseller Award

Established in 2001. The motto of the award is “Wake up famous”. “The purpose of the award is to reveal the otherwise unclaimed market potential of highly artistic and/or otherwise meritorious prose works.”
The winners of the award were Leonid Yuzefovich, Zakhar Prilepin, Dmitry Bykov, Viktor Pelevin.

11. Award "NOS"

Established in 2009 by the Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation "to identify and support new trends in contemporary Russian literature." The main feature of the award is the openness of the decision-making process, namely: the jury is obliged to publicly argue the choice of the finalists and the winner within the framework of a talk show in the presence and with the participation of journalists, writers and the cultural community. In addition to the winner of the main award, the winner of the reader's vote is also determined.

12. KNIGURU Award

All-Russian competition for the best literary work for children and youth, in which the final decision is made by a jury consisting of young readers aged 10 to 16 years.

13. Debut Award

Independent literary award for authors writing in Russian and not older than 35 years. Established in 2000 by Andrey Skoch's Generation Foundation. The coordinator of the award is the writer Olga Slavnikova. It is important that an agreement is concluded with the laureate of the award in each nomination for the publication of his work.

14. Book of the Year Award

Established in 1999 by the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications. Awarded during the MIBF in nine nominations.

15. Vladislav Krapivin International Children's Literary Prize

Established in 2006 by the Association of Ural Writers. The award accepts works for children and teenagers. It is important that the work be written in Russian with a volume of at least 1.5 author's sheets (60 thousand characters with spaces).

In a sense, the most prestigious literary award. And it's not about the prize fund at all: everything is just simple here - 1 ruble, a bottle of vodka and an apple. The Andrei Bely Prize has existed since 1978 and is the oldest non-state prize in Russia, which has long had its own special, most "intelligent" status.

Gleb Morev, literary critic, member of the Andrei Bely Prize Committee in 2011:“The Andrei Bely Prize was founded in 1978 by the publishers of the unofficial Leningrad magazine Chasy. The award has always had a symbolic monetary value - 1 ruble, which did not prevent it from quickly gaining high prestige in the circle of unofficial, and then non-commercial literature, focused on finding a new artistic language and opposing market literature as one of the types of "entertainment". Among the winners of the Andrei Bely Prize are Sasha Sokolov, Boris Groys, Elena Schwartz, Andrey Bitov, Mikhail Gasparov, Gennady Aigi, Alexei Parshchikov, Lev Rubinstein, Eduard Limonov and other classics of the latest Russian culture.”

The Russian Booker Prize, which is awarded annually for the best novel in Russian, was created in 1991 by Englishman Sir Michael Caine, who headed Booker Group plc, the same company that established the Booker Prize in 1969, the main British literary prize.

Booker has been out of touch with literature for a long time. It was founded in Liverpool in 1835 by the Booker brothers, who traded in colonial goods. Already in the 20th century, the company was engaged in the book business, in particular, acquired the copyright for the works of Ian Fleming, Agatha Christie and Harold Pinter.

Yuri Buida, writer and journalist, Russian Booker Prize finalist in 1994 and 1998:“This was the first award in Russia that was not backed by state and even public organizations, and in this sense it was the embodiment of the spirit of modern times. The Booker Prize, by the very fact of the high monetary content, forced writers and critics to focus on the novel, on a genre that by that time seemed to be given over to the flow and plunder, blurred and even lost its former meaning. This was also a minus: many rushed to write novels, some of these works fell into the lists of applicants, although there were no grounds for this. Works that had nothing to do with the novel were also awarded. But at the same time, Booker reflected in general the peculiarities of the literary process - with all its pluses and minuses. The Booker Prize gave birth to many other prizes and anti-prizes, caused a lot of praise and scandals, which is useful for marking the literary space, for attracting readers' attention. I don’t know what she will become surrounded by new awards (Big Book, National Best), in the conditions of an accelerating change in tastes, ideas and predilections, but in the history of Russian literary life of the last twenty years, Booker - no matter how they treat him - is one of the few real events. .

In terms of the prize fund, the Big Book is the largest prize in Russia and the second in the world after the Nobel Prize. The winner receives 3 million rubles, silver and bronze medalists - 1.5 and 1 million respectively. The award was created in 2005 by the "Center for the Support of Russian Literature" and since then has been awarded annually for works of all prose genres. Among the winners were fiction novels, for example, "Venus Hair" by Mikhail Shishkin, and non-fiction - "Boris Pasternak" by Dmitry Bykov.

Dmitry Danilov, writer, Big Book finalist in 2011: The Big Book is a really big award, in every sense. Both financially, and in terms of the PR effect, and in terms of some general solidity. Usually status, consensus figures, such as Makanin, Ulitskaya, Yuzefovich win. Their laureate does not become a sensation, much less a scandal. While our other major awards sometimes, as they say, throw out the knees - remember at least last year's decision of the Booker jury. The "Big Book" is focused to a greater extent not on the search and discovery of new names, but on the recognition of existing literary merits. This can be viewed as both a plus and a minus, depending on what a particular person expects from a literary award.

The relatively young Debut Prize was established in 2000 by Andrey Skoch's Generation Humanitarian Foundation and is awarded to authors under the age of 35 in various categories: major and minor prose, dramaturgy, poetry and essay writing. By the way, the age limit used to be 25 years old and only this year it was significantly raised.

Andrey Astvatsaturov, literary critic, writer, jury member of the Debut Prize:“I think the Debut Award is unique because it is one of the very few literary awards for young people. The literary world, magazine and publishing, is not very hospitable, not very disposed towards newcomers, unfortunately. And looks at them rather suspiciously. And the Debut Award in such a context and in such a situation is a correct and wonderful exception. It seems to me that it helps young authors, on the one hand, to try their hand, and on the other hand, it attracts the attention of editors of magazines, publishing houses and, accordingly, readers.

The NOS Prize was founded by the Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation quite recently - in 2009 - and timed to coincide with the bicentenary of N.V. Gogol. Texts of various artistic genres can apply for the award: "from traditional novels to radical experimental prose." The winners of the award for two years of its existence were Lena Eltang with the novel "Stone Maples" and Vladimir Sorokin with the story "Snowstorm".

Kirill Kobrin, writer, jury member of the NOS award:“We, the members of the jury, hesitate between the options for deciphering the award: “new domestic literature”, “new domestic sociality” and “new domestic subjectivity”. This, it seems to me, means the following: "new literature" can be regarded as one of the manifestations of the "new sociality". In other words, the changes in public consciousness that have taken place in Russian society over the past two decades equally lead to the transformation of society itself and its cultural (in this case, literary) product. NOSE keeps its distance from the mainstream, but at the same time tries not to fall into aesthetic radicalism. In other words, the award does not invent a new tradition, but tries to catch its manifestations in the ore of the usual flow of Russian literature.

The most significant poetic award was created by the Society for the Encouragement of Russian Poetry on the initiative of Anatoly Chubais in 2005 “as an award for the highest achievements in modern Russian poetry” and is a kind of summing up poetic results, as it rewards long-established and recognized poets.

Nikolai Bogomolov, literary critic, jury member of the Poet Prize:“The National Prize “Poet” is not awarded for a new book of poems or a good selection, especially not for poems sent to the jury members. It is received by a poet who, throughout his rather long literary biography, does not change the traditions of Russian poetry and at the same time enjoys public recognition. Therefore, among the jury members there are many literary critics who clearly see not only the modern literary process, but also the prospect of the literary movement: Alexander Kushner, Olesya Nikolaeva, Oleg Chukhontsev, Timur Kibirov, Sergei Gandlevsky and Viktor Sosnora. They represent different generations, different creative manners, different cities, but they all have in common that for decades each of them has been speaking in his own voice, heard not by some narrow group of people, but by a wide circle of poetry lovers. There are quite a few poetic awards that highlight momentary success in Russia, but there is only one prize awarded for the historical significance of creativity.

"National Bestseller", or simply "Natsbest", is a literary award, which even has a motto: "Wake up famous!". The award was founded in 2001 by literary critic Viktor Toporov and is awarded in St. Petersburg for the best novel written in Russian. One of the highlights of this award is

in openness and transparency: you can always find out who nominated whom and who voted for whom.

Sergey Shargunov, writer, journalist, finalist of the National Bestseller in 2011:“National Best is an award that claims to be objective. Objectivity is unpredictability. As a result, the winner may be a writer who is unkind to the organizers of the award, or simply one who is afraid and shunned by the “venerable public”. I think it's good."

The mandatory components of the process of awarding a literary prize are: a) a circle of experts who formulate the number of applicants and make a final decision; b) selection criterion, i.e. the formulation of the grounds on which this choice is made; c) the prize itself, expressed in monetary terms or having a symbolic value (in the latter case, the emphasis is on the significance of the choice by one or another circle of experts); and d) the writers or poets themselves - prize winners representing this choice.

Unlike the methods of remuneration adopted in the Middle Ages, when writers were given the status of those close to the court - court poets or writers, accompanied by an appropriate monetary allowance, literary awards, the practice of which was widely spread mainly in the 20th century, are a more democratic way of recognizing the merits of writers. . Modern awards are of a one-time nature and formally do not require any further obligations from writers. However, as experience shows, sometimes receiving a significant status award - international or state - affected the further work of the writer and influenced his fate.

Prizes can be conditionally divided into a) international (Nobel, Booker, etc.) and national (Goncourt French, Pulitzer American, national Booker - English, Russian, etc., State Russian, etc.), b) sectoral ( in the field of fantasy, historical novel, etc.), c) nominal - Astrid Lindgren Prize - International Prize in the field of children's literature, etc. d) informal - Antibooker, Prize. Andrei Bely, etc.

International Literary Awards.

Nobel Prize in Literature (cm. NOBEL PRIZES) is the most famous and prestigious annual international award in the field of literature.

Booker International Prize(Man Booker International Prize) - established in 2005. Will be awarded every two years for "creativity, development and overall contribution to the world of fiction" and will be 60,000 pounds. Unlike the current Booker Prize, which is open to British Commonwealth and Irish citizens only, the new Prize is open to anyone writing in English.

The 2005 laureate was the Albanian poet Ismail Kadare.

IMPAC Award(Improved Management Productivity and Control - Leading Productivity Company) is an international award established in 1996 by Dublin City Council. 185 library systems in 51 countries have the right to nominate applicants. The prize is awarded for a work written or translated into English. It is worth 100,000 euros - this is the largest award that can be received for a single work, it is awarded in Dublin.

Among the awardees is the Moroccan Tahar Ben Jelloun for his novel Blinding absence of light, Edward Jones for the novel known world.

Literary daggers(Gold Dagger, Silver Dagger, Debut Dagger, Library Dagger, etc.) . The award has been awarded since 1955 for the best detective novel of the year by the Detective Writers Association of Great Britain, an open society supporting detective writers. Nominations "Fiction", "Non-fiction", "Story". ( cm. DETECTIVE)

AAI(AAR)Association of American Publishers. Established by the American Writers Association and awarded for the merit of its member publishers. In 2002, T.A. Kudryavtseva, translator of John Updike, William Styron, Norman Mailer, Margaret Mitchell and others, received the award for the translation of fiction that promotes mutual understanding between America and Russia.

Liberty Award(Liberty) - founded in 1999 by emigrants from Russia. Awarded for contributions to Russian-American culture and development of cultural ties between the United States and Russia. The winner receives a diploma and a cash prize. The independent jury consists of three people: Grisha Bruskin, Solomon Volkov and Alexander Genis. Sponsors are Media Group Continent USA and American University in Moscow.

The winners of the award were cultural figures living in America. Among them are V. Aksyonov, L. Losev, M. Epstein, O. Vasiliev, V. Bachanyan, J. Billington

National Literary Awards.

Booker Prize(Man-Booker Prize for Fiction, Booker Prize) (Great Britain) the annual British Literature Award for the best novel written by a British or Commonwealth citizen in English. Its goal is to support and develop the traditions of such a literary form as the novel. The award was founded in 1969. The first sponsor was Booker-McConnell plc., and the award was called the Booker-McConnell Prize. Since 2002, the award has become known as "Man Booker", it is financed by the company "Man Group". The prize has risen from £21,000 to £50,000.

Awarded by the independent charitable organization The Book Foundation. The winners of the English Booker were: in 1969 - P.H. Newby (P.H. Newby, Something to Answer For); in 1970 - Bernice Rubens (Bernice Rubens, The Elected Member); in 1971 - V.S. Naipaul (V.S. Naipaul, In a Free State); in 1972 - John Berger (John Berger, G); in 1973 - J.G. Farrell (J.G. Farrell, Siege of Krishnapur); in 1974 - Stanley Middleton (Stanley Middleton, holiday); in 1975 - Nadine Gordimer and Ruth Jabwala (Nadine Gordimer, The Conservationist, Ruth Prower Jhabvala, heat and dust); in 1976 - David Storey (David Storey, Saville); in 1977 - Paul Scott (Paul Scott, Staying on); in 1978 - Iris Murdoch (Iris Murdoch, The Sea); in 1979 - Penelope Fitzgerald (Penelope Fitzgerald, Offshore); in 1980 - William Golding (William Golding, Rites of Passage); in 1981 - Salman Rushdie (Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children); in 1982 - Thomas Keneally (Thomas Keneally, Schindler's Ark); in 1983 - J.M. Coetzee (J.M. Coetzee, Life and Times of Michael K.); in 1984 - Anita Brookner (Anita Brookner, Hotel Du Lac); in 1985 - Keri Holm (Keri Hulme, bone people); in 1986 - Kingsley Amis (Kingsley Amis, The Old Devils); in 1987 - Penelope Lively (Penelope Lively, moon tiger); in 1988 - Peter Carey (Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda); in 1989 - Kazuo Ishiguro (Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day); in 1990 - Byat A.S. (A.S. Byatt, Possession); in 1991 - Ben Okri (Ben Okri, The Famished Road; in 1992 - Michael Ondaatje and Barry Unsworth (Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient; Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger); in 1993 - Roddy Doyle (Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha); in 1994 - James Kelman (James Kelman, How Late It Was, How Late); in 1995 - Pat Barker (Pat Barker, The Ghost Road); in 1996 - Graham Swift (Graham Swift, Last orders); in 1997 - Arundhati Roy (Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things); in 1998 - Ian McEwan (Ian McEwan, Amsterdam); in 1999 - J.M. Coetzee (J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace); in 2000 - Margaret Atwood (Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin); in 2001 - Peter Carey (Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang); in 2002 - Yann Martel (Yann Martel, Life of Pi); in 2003 - D.B.S. Pierre (DBC Pierre (Peter Warren Finlay), Vernon God Little); in 2004 - Alan Hollinghurst (Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty).

Among the winners of the English Booker there are world-famous novelists Murdoch, Amis, Golding and others, almost half of the winners are women. Recently, among the laureates there are more and more people from the countries of the British Commonwealth - Canada, South Africa, India, Australia, etc.

Whitbread Prize. Awarded by the British Booksellers Association. Laureates each receive £5,000; from among the laureates in five categories (“Novel”, “Best First Novel”, “Bibliography”, “Children's Literature”, “Poetry”), an absolute winner is selected, who receives 25 thousand pounds sterling. His work is named "Book of the Year"

Goncourt Prize(Prix ​​Goncourt) (France) is an annual French literary award for achievements in the genre of the novel. The Goncourt Prize is considered one of the most honorable and authoritative in France. And although nominally the size of the award is symbolic - only 10 euros, the writer is guaranteed large incomes, since after its award, as practice shows, sales of the laureates' books skyrocket.

The Goncourt Prize was officially established in 1896, but it began to be awarded only from 1902. The Goncourt brothers left a huge fortune, which, according to the will of Edmond Goncourt, passed into the Goncourt Academy, officially established in 1896. It includes ten of the most famous writers of France who receive a nominal fee - 60 francs per year. Each member of the academy has only one vote and can only vote for one book. The President of the Academy has two votes.

Members of the Goncourt Academy at different times were writers A. Daudet, J. Renard, Roni Sr., F. Eria, E. Bazin, Louis Aragon and others. The first winner of the Prix Goncourt in 1903 was John-Antoine Naud for his novel hostile force.

The winners of the Prix Goncourt were Ahmad Kuruma, Francois Salvin, Amélie Nothombe, Jean-Jacques Schul.

In addition to the Goncourt Prize, in France there are such literary prizes as Renaudo, Medici, Femina, Goncourt for Lyceum students.

Femina is one of the oldest literary awards in France, founded in 1904. It awards the prize of the jury, consisting of only women, for the best French novel, foreign novel, essay.

Pulitzer Prize(USA) is one of the most prestigious US awards in the field of literature, journalism, music and theater, since 1942 - in the field of photojournalism.

The award was established by the Hungarian-born American newspaper tycoon Joseph Pulitzer. At the end of the 19th century he skillfully drew the attention of readers to the newspapers he published. Having lived for 65 years, Joseph Pulitzer died in October 1911, leaving an unexpected will - his last will was the establishment of the School of Journalism at Columbia University and the foundation of a foundation named after him. They were left $2 million for this.

Since 1917, the Pulitzer Prize has been awarded annually on the first Monday of May by the Trustees of Columbia University. The formal announcement of the award is traditionally made by the President of Columbia University in April of each year.

In the field of journalism, the award is not provided with a cash prize, but is a gold medal for "Service to the Fatherland", awarded to the publication itself, and not to its journalists. In other areas, the decision is made by an independent jury of 90 experts. The amount of the award is 10 thousand dollars.

National Book Award(USA). Founded in 1950 by a group of publishers. The award is given in four categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children's literature. The prize is about $10,000 for laureates, $1,000 for nominees, a statuette, and a medal for contributions to American literature. The sponsor is the American National Book Foundation.

Prize to them. Cervantes(Spain) is often referred to as the Nobel Prize for Literature in the Spanish-speaking world. It was established in 1979 by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. The bonus fund is 90 thousand euros. The award is presented by the King of Spain on April 23 of each year - the day Cervantes died.

Among the winners of the award are Spaniard Francisco Umbral, Chilean Jorge Edwards, Spaniard Sanchez Ferlosio.

Prize to them. Romulo Gallegos(Spain) established in 1967 in memory of the Venezuelan novelist and former President Romulo Gallegos. Awarded annually for the best novel written in Spanish, it is considered one of the most generous in the Spanish-speaking world: the award is $100,000 and a medal.

State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art, since 1992, it has been awarded annually in the amount of 300 thousand rubles, since 2005 its amount is 100 thousand dollars. The position of chairman of the commission is traditionally held by the heads of the presidential administration. Candidates for the award are nominated by the editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, publishing houses and public organizations. Among the laureates are V.S. Makanin, V.N. Voinovich, A.G. Volos, K.Ya. Vanshenkin, D. Granin, V.I. Belov, K.Kh.

State Prize for the most talented works for children and youth established by presidential decree in 1998. Boris Zakhoder became the laureate in 1999.

State Pushkin Prize of Russia established in June 1994 by decree of the President of the Russian Federation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of A.S. Pushkin - "for the creation of the most talented works in the field of poetry." It has been awarded on a competitive basis annually since 1995 by the President of the Russian Federation on the proposal of the commission on state prizes in the field of literature and art under the President of the Russian Federation. Candidates are nominated by federal executive authorities, executive authorities of subjects of the federation, enterprises, institutions and organizations, public associations, educational institutions, editorial offices of newspapers and magazines. The works presented for the award are considered by a special commission (section) chaired by I. Shklyarevsky as part of the commission for State Prizes of the Russian Federation. The monetary support of the premium in 1999 was increased to 1600 times the minimum wage.

B. Okudzhava Prize established in 1998. The prize winners are poets and creators of author's songs for outstanding works. Awarded in the amount of two hundred times the minimum wage established by the legislation of the Russian Federation. At various times, the award was received by Yuli Kim, Dmitry Sukharev, Alexander Dolsky, Yuri Ryashentsev.

Booker – Open Russia(Russian Booker Prize – Russian Booker, Small Booker Prize) – has been awarded since 1992 from the funds of a benefactor who wished to remain anonymous for many years. In 2000, his name was revealed - this is the English public figure Francis Green. Since 2002, the Open Russia Regional Public Organization has become the general sponsor of the award. The award became known as "Booker - Open Russia".

Since 2003, the remuneration has been 15 thousand dollars, the finalists included in the short list receive 1,000 dollars.

Initially, the Small Booker Prize was a kind of branch of the "big" Booker. Currently, the "Small Booker" is awarded not for a novel, but every year for works of different genres. The goal is to encourage the most innovative and supportive trends in the literary process. Over the years, Small Booker was awarded: for the best book of stories (Viktor Pelevin, blue lantern), for the best debut in prose (Sergey Gandlevsky ( cm. MOSCOW TIME , trepanation of the skull), for the best magazines of Russian abroad (“Spring”, “Riga”, “Idiot”, “Vitebsk”), for the best work that comprehends the history of literature (Mikhail Gasparov, Featured Articles, Alexander Goldstein (Tel Aviv), Parting with Narcissus) and others. In 1999, the prize was awarded for a work that develops the essay genre in Russian literature - Vladimir Bibikhin became the laureate for the book New Renaissance. In 2000, for a literary project, that is, organizing activities for collecting, organizing and presenting literary texts, realizing certain ideas and concepts, he received the Yuryatin Foundation (Perm, a group of curators of 4 people). The prize was awarded for book publishing work (publishing books by authors of modern Russian abroad, significant authors of the province, young authors of Perm, local history literature), organization and support in Perm of the salon "Literary Environments in the Smyshlyaev House", where many famous contemporary writers spoke, especially for this who came to Perm, and a lecture hall where humanities scholars Georgy Gachev, Mikhail Ryklin, Igor Smirnov, Boris Dubin, Sergey Khoruzhy read short courses of lectures.

The long-list and short-list of the Big and Small Russian Booker are published in autumn. The shortlist is announced and commented on at a special press conference. The winner is announced in December.

In 2000, the Small Booker Prize organizationally separated from the Big Booker Prize.

The award is presented by a jury that changes partly every year. In addition, each year special experts are invited to serve on the jury in the direction that this year is encouraged by the Small Booker.

Pushkin Prize of the German Alfred Toepfer Foundation. The Alfred Toepfler Foundation has become the source of a whole system of encouraging cultural and scientific figures in European countries. The Pushkin Prize was founded in 1989 to reward writers writing in Russian for outstanding contributions to Russian literature. The award is 40,000 euros and is awarded with the participation of the Russian PEN Center. Together with the prize, two scholarships of 6,000 euros are awarded each year for young writers. Among the awarded are Andrey Bitov, Evgeny Rein.

Andrey Bely Literary Prize. Established in a cultural underground ( cm. SAMIZDAT) in 1978 by the samizdat magazine "Hours" (editors B. Ivanov and B. Ostanin) as the first regular non-state literary award in the history of Russia. The names of the laureates were determined by an anonymous jury. The bonus was a bottle of white wine, an apple, one ruble (similar to the Goncourt franc) and a diploma. Among the laureates, who usually represented the avant-garde and postmodern sectors of the literary underground, are poets Viktor Krivulin (1978), Elena Shvarts (1979), Vladimir Aleinikov (1980), Alexander Mironov (1981), Olga Sedakova (1983), Alexei Parshchikov ( 1986), Gennady Aigi (1987), Ivan Zhdanov (1988), Alexander Gornoy (1991), Shamshad Abdullaev (1994); prose writers Arkady Dragomoshchenko (1978), Boris Kudryakov (1979), Boris Dyshlenko (1980), Sasha Sokolov (1981), Evgeny Kharitonov (1981; posthumously), Tamara Korvin (1983), Vasily Aksenov (1985), Leon Bogdanov (1986) , Andrey Bitov (1988), Yuri Mamleev (1991); critics and culturologists Boris Groys (1978), Evgeny Schiffers (1979), Yuri Novikov (1980), Efim Barban (1981), Boris Ivanov (1983), Vladimir Erl (1986), Vladimir Malyavin (1988), Mikhail Epshtein (1991) .

After a break, the award was recreated by M. Berg, B. Ivanov, B. Ostanin and V. Krivulin in 1997. According to the founders, it was given "the character of a nationwide cultural institution, which aims to support the experimental-intellectual trend in Russian literature, searches in the field of language reflecting changes in the mentality and speech practice of the new generation, but taking into account the experience of Russian modernism, most clearly expressed in the work of Andrei Bely, whose significance we believe to be unchanged against the backdrop of the most incredible changes in our cultural climate.

It is awarded in four categories: poetry, prose, criticism and theory of culture. There is also a special merit award, which remains, as before, the prerogative of an anonymous jury. A notarized contract for the publication of the laureate's book of works over the next year in the special series "Winners of the Andrei Bely Prize" is added to the traditional material reward. The names of the laureates were first announced in St. Petersburg, later as part of the Moscow Exhibition and Fair of Intellectual Books, on Andrei Bely's birthday, October 26.

Antibooker - annual bonus; established in 1995 under Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Since 1996 it has been awarded separately for prose (The Brothers Karamazov), poetry (The Stranger) and dramaturgy (Three Sisters). Since 1997, the prize has been awarded for literary criticism and literary criticism ("Ray of Light") and non-fiction ("The Fourth Prose") since 2000.

Aelita– The oldest award in Russia for science fiction prose, was established in 1982 by the Union of Writers of the RSFSR and the editors of the Ural Pathfinder magazine. Awarded annually for the best sci-fi book of the previous two years at the Science Fiction Festival in Yekaterinburg. The amount of monetary reward was not disclosed. The first honorary laureates of the Aelita Prize were A. and B. Strugatsky.

Prize« Debut”established in 2000 by the International Generation Foundation for authors under the age of 25 writing in Russian. It has seven nominations: "Large prose", "Small prose", "Poetry", "Dramaturgy", "Film story", "Publicism", "Literature of spiritual search". Winners in all five nominations receive an honorary prize "Bird".

All-Russian Literary Prize named after St. blg. Prince Alexander Nevsky« Russian faithful sons» established by the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra with the blessing of Metropolitan Vladimir of St. Petersburg and Ladoga with the support of the Writers' Union of Russia. Awarded in the nominations "Poetry", "Fictional Prose", "Documentary and Journalistic Prose", "Book for Children", "Criticism and Literary Studies", "Magazine and Newspaper". The commission consists of priests, members of the Writers' Union of Russia. The main principles for determining the winners are a high artistic style based on Orthodox spirituality, professionalism, historical authenticity, and patriotic orientation.

The award is given annually in January. For the first places, the medal “Literary Prize named after St. blg. Book. Alexander Nevsky, diploma and a cash prize of $2,000. For the second and third places - diplomas and cash prizes. First place winners are eligible to become committee members for the following year. Among the awardees are Y. Kozlov, E. Yushin.

National Prize. A. and B. Strugatsky(ABC Award) was established in 1999 by the "Center for Contemporary Literature and Books" with the assistance of the literary community of St. Petersburg and the support of the administration and the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg. The award encourages "realistic directions in fiction, connection with the past, present and future of a real earthly person."

Prize winners E. Lukin, V. Mikhailov, M. Uspensky, N. Galkina, S. Lukyanenko, V. Pelevin.

Apollon Grigoriev Prize established in 1997 by the Academy of Russian Modern Literature as "a professional expert award for the best work of the year in all genres, except for criticism, literary criticism and cultural studies." The sponsors of the award are ONEXIMbank (1997), State Bank (since 1998). All members of the Academy are nominees. The jury is selected by lot (chairmen: 1997 - Petr Vail; 1998 - Alexander Ageev; 1999 - Sergey Chuprinin; 2000 - Alla Latynina; 2001 - Evgeny Sidorov; 2002 - Andrey Nemzer), which determines three laureates, and then announces the laureate of the main prize. Funding for the main prize is $25,000; other laureates are awarded laptops and printers (a writer's workplace) in the amount of $2,500 each.

Ivan Petrovich Belkin Prize, established by the EKSMO publishing house and the Znamya magazine, is the only award in Russia named after a literary hero, established in 2001. Awarded for the best Russian story of the year. The editorial boards of newspapers and magazines, creative organizations, as well as professional literary critics enjoy the right to nominate. Monetary reward: 5 thousand dollars for the laureate, the authors of the other four stories included in the short list are rewarded with 500 dollars. Award coordinator - Natalia Ivanova. Jury chairmen: in 2001 - Fazil Iskander, in 2002 - Leonid Zorin.

« bronze snail» Established in 1992 by Andrei Nikolaev and Alexander Sidorovich as a personal prize of B.N. Strugatsky (he is the chairman and sole member of the jury of the prize). Awarded in the nominations "Large Form", "Medium Form", "Small Form", "Criticism/Publicism" at the traditional annual conferences of science fiction writers, critics, translators, publishers in Repino near St. Petersburg.

Prize« northern palmyra"established in 1994. Awarded by the jury (O. Basilashvili, A. German, Y. Gordin, A. Dodin, A. Panchenko, A. Petrov, B. Strugatsiy, A. Ariev and others) for a literary work created in Russian language and published in St. Petersburg, according to the nominations: poetry; prose; journalism and criticism; book publishing. The sponsors of the award were Credit-Petersburg Bank (1995), St. Petersburg Bank for Reconstruction and Development (1996). According to the regulations, the nomination committee analyzes St. Petersburg literature throughout the year and nominates the most talented, in its opinion, works. Upon completion of this work, 7 applicants remain in each section of the award. Voting takes place anonymously, the works are not discussed, so that the members of the jury do not put pressure on each other.

Literary Prize. Alexandra Solzhenitsyn awards the fund, founded by A.I. Solzhenitsyn in 1997, as an award to Russian writers, “whose work has high artistic merit, contributes to self-knowledge of Russia, makes a significant contribution to the preservation and careful development of the traditions of Russian literature.” The prize may be awarded for a novel, short story or collection of short stories, book or series of poems, play, collection of articles or research. The permanent jury includes A. Solzhenitsyn, N. Struve, V. Nepomnyashchy, L. Saraskina, P. Basinsky, N. Solzhenitsyna. The monetary amount of the award is 25 thousand dollars.

Triumph. Awarded by the Russian Independent Foundation for the Encouragement of the Highest Achievements in Literature and Art, established by LogoVAZ JSC in the summer of 1992. The names of the applicants are proposed by the jury members, as well as by experts, and are not announced in advance. The names of the laureates are determined by a permanent jury, which includes V. Aksenov, A. Voznesensky

Sholokhov International Prize founded in 1993 by the magazine "Young Guard", the publishing house "Modern Writer" (now "Soviet Writer"), MSPS and writers' joint stock company. The current founders are MSPS, the Union of Artists of Russia, the publishing house "Soviet Writer", Moscow State Open Pedagogical University. M.A. Sholokhov. Yu.Bondarev is the permanent chairman of the jury. The financial support of the award is not disclosed, the laureates are awarded diplomas and medals.

National bestseller. Established in 2000 by the National Bestseller Foundation. Prose works in Russian are nominated for the prize. The winner receives a prize of 10 thousand dollars. Among the awardees are M. Shishkin, V. Pelevin, A. Garrosa and A. Evdokimov, A. Prokhanov and L. Yuzefovich.

Prize to them. P.P. Bazhova was established in November 1999 to mark the 120th anniversary of the writer by the Sverdlovsk branch of the Literary Fund of Russia and the financial and industrial group Jewels of the Urals. The competition actually stepped over the boundaries of the regional and acquired the status of an all-Russian one. The award is annually awarded for achievements in literary activity not only to representatives of the Ural region, but also to writers from other Russian territories for works on the Ural theme. Five nominations: "Prose", "Poetry", "Dramaturgy", "Literary Studies", "Publicism". Each laureate receives a sum of money in the amount of 10,000 rubles, as well as specially cast gold and silver medals.

Prize to them. Boyana established by the Council of Governors of border cities and regions of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. The regulation on the award says that it is "awarded for works that carry the light of Slavic spirituality, rooted in Slavic mythology and folklore and affirm the ideas of friendship and brotherhood of the Slavic peoples."

Prize to them. F.M.Dostoevsky was founded by the Union of Writers of Russia together with the Association of Russian Writers of Estonia and the non-profit association “Primiya im. F.M.Dostoevsky. It was first awarded in the year of the 180th anniversary of the writer's birth. The prize is awarded to writers who have made a significant contribution to the development and popularization of Russian literature and culture, both in Estonia and Russia, and in other countries.

Among the recipients are Valentin Rasputin, Geir Hyotso, Anna Vedernikova, Anatoly Builov, Rostislav Titov, B.N. Tarasov.

Prize to them. Igor Severyanin established by the Russian faction of the Riigikogu and awarded annually to cultural figures who have made a significant contribution to the development and popularization of Russian cultural life in Estonia and Estonian among the Russian-speaking population of the country.

All-Russian Literary Prize named after Sergei Yesenin« Oh Russia, flap your wings...”is an annual open competition of works by poets of Russia, established by the National Fund for the Development of Culture and Tourism and the Union of Writers of Russia in 2005. It is awarded in four categories: “Big Prize” - poetic works (poems and poems) are accepted for the competition, “Searching Look” - critical works on Russian poetry, "Song Word" - texts of poems to which music is set (at least 3), "Russian Hope" - poetry of the young (18-30 years old). No later than October 3 of the current year, the award committee announces the names of the laureates.

Competition« Scarlet Sails» for the best publications for children and youth was established in 2003 by the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Press, Television and Radio Broadcasting and Mass Media.

As the development of modern literature shows, literary awards have become an integral part of literary life, representing a kind of ratings of works and writers. Of course, this method of marking causes certain criticisms of the subjectivity of choice, bias (when they choose “their own”), considerations of the political situation, etc. However, with all the minuses, the practice of awarding literary prizes will obviously continue, since it represents a clear and accessible way of structuring and evaluating literary works.

Irina Ermakova



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