List of richest literary prizes

Announcement of the Laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature, one of the world's richest literary prizes, at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm (2008).

Many literary awards give significant remunerations. This is a list of active literary awards from around the world with a prize of at least US$100,000 or equivalent. Although global in scope and comprising over 35 awards, most of the prizes are in only four currencies: United Arab Emirates dirham, Swedish krona, Euro, and United States dollar.

Chinua Achebe, 2010 winner of The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize

Inclusion criteria

  • The award is active and is primarily focused on writing (novels, poetry, non-fiction etc..)
  • The remuneration is equal to or greater than US$100,000 or equivalent. Because fluctuating exchange rates move non-US dollar denominated awards in and out of the list over time, awards near this amount are also included.
  • The award is for any genre of writing (fiction, journalism, etc.) or award type (book or author).
  • The listed remuneration is for a single winner or co-winners. The list does not aggregate the total value of runners-up and other prizes within the same award. For example, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards is listed as A$100,000 even though it is composed of four prizes totalling A$400,000.


Prizes

Approximate

Equivalent in US$
(October 2024)

Prize amount Prize name Type Host country Primary language Notes Ref(s)
1,361,000 DH 5,000,000 Million's Poet — UAE Arabic Award for a single poem. Total prizes for 2nd to 5th positions are approximately $2,723,000. Sister prize of Prince of Poets [1]
1,092,000 €1,000,000 Premio Planeta de Novela (winner) Book Spain Spanish See also runner-up of same prize. [2]
1,000,000 kr 11,000,000 Nobel Prize in Literature Author Sweden Any There are five Nobel Prizes of 11 million kronor each. [3]
470,000 US$470,000 The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize Author* United States English Open to all arts, not just writers. [4]
466,500 kr 5,000,000 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Author Sweden Any Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and people or organisations that work with reading promotion in the area of children's and young adult literature, are eligible for the prize. [5]
272,000 DH 1,000,000 Prince of Poets — UAE Arabic Award for a single poem. Sister prize of Million's Poet [6][7]
250,000 US$250,000 Carlos Fuentes International Prize for Literary Creation in the Spanish Language Author Mexico Spanish Any writer writing in the Spanish language [8]
228,000 kr 2,500,000 International Ibsen Award Author* Norway Any Any drama and theater position eligible, not just writers. [9]
218,000 €200,000 Prix mondial Cino Del Duca Author France Any Open to any writer working in either scientific or literary form [10]
200,000 DH 750,000 Sheikh Zayed Book Award Book United Arab Emirates Arabic 7 awards each valued at AED 750,000 [11]
200,000 US$200,000 Saudi King Abdullah International Award for Translation Author Saudi Arabia Arabic 5 awards of 200,000 each (1 million total) [12]
175,000 US$175,000 Alfaguara Prize Book Spain Spanish [13]
175,000 US$175,000 Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes Author United States English Composed of eight awards of $175,000 each. [14][15]
164,000 €150,000 Premio Planeta de Novela (runner-up) Book Spain Spanish See also winner of same prize. [16]
150,000 US$150,000 Lannan Literary Awards Author United States English Composed of three awards of $150,000 each. Prize amount last verified for 2007. [17]
150,000 US$150,000 FIL Literature Award Author Mexico Spanish [18]
150,000 US$150,000 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Author US English Prize awards works of fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States. [19]
146,000 kr. 1,000,000 Sonning Prize Author* Denmark Any Open to all arts not just writers. [20]
134,000 €125,000 Miguel de Cervantes Prize Author Spain Spanish [21]
134,000 €125,000 RBA Prize for Crime Writing Book Spain Any [22]
131,000 €120,000 Premio de Novela Fernando Lara Book Spain Spanish [23]
110,000 €100,000 Rómulo Gallegos Prize Book Venezuela Spanish [24]
110,000 €100,000 Premio Primavera de Novela Book Spain Spanish [25]
110,000 €100,000 International Dublin Literary Award Book Ireland English [26]
110,000 €100,000 Premio Novela Histórica Alfonso X El Sabio Book Spain Spanish [27]
110,000 €100,000 Camões Prize Author Portugal
Brazil 		Portuguese [28]
110,000 €100,000 Prémio Leya Book Portugal Portuguese [29][30][31]
100,000 US$100,000 Premio de Traducción Literaria Tomás Segovia Author Mexico Spanish Translator award [32]
100,000 US$100,000 Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding Book Qatar Arabic Translation award. Total award value is $2 million. [33]
100,000 US$100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature Book Nigeria English [34][35]
100,000 US$100,000 Pritzker Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing Author United States English [36]
100,000 US$100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize Author United States English [37][38]
100,000 US$100,000 Wallace Stevens Award Author United States English [39]
100,000 US$100,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature Book United States English [40]
100,000 US$100,000 The Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards Author United States English [41]
100,000 US$100,000 Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Awards Author United Arab Emirates Arabic Composed of five awards of $100,000 each. [42]
100,000 US$100,000 Park Kyong-ni Prize Author South Korea Any [43]
Key
  • Columns are sortable (click small square)
  • Type: Book: Award is for a book title / Author: Award is for an author name
  • (*) Award is not literary-specific but has some literary winners.
  • This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

The following awards have a superlative claim within certain defined categories, as described and sourced in the Notes column.

Equivalent in US$
(April 2016) 		Prize amount Prize name Type Host country Primary language Claim
524,527 kr 5,000,000 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Children's literature Sweden Any The richest children's literature prize in the world.[44]
138,180 €125,000 RBA Prize for Crime Writing Crime fiction Spain Any "The world's most lucrative crime fiction prize."[22]
75,000 US$75,000 Cundill History Prize Non-fiction and history Canada English "the world's largest non-fiction purse"[45]
55,270 €50,000 Premio de Narrativa Breve Ribera del Duero Short story collection Spain Spanish "the largest in the world for a competition of this kind".[46]
39,358 £30,000 Sunday Times Short Story Award Short story United Kingdom English "The world's richest short story prize" (single short story).[47]
38,081 CA$50,000 Montreal International Poetry Prize Poetry Canada Any Thought to be the world's richest award for a single-poem.[48]

References

  1. ^ Pearson, Bryan (4 April 2008). "'Million's Poet' a runaway success". Variety.
  2. ^ "El Planeta del millón de euros acaba con el secreto de Carmen Mola". EFE. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Nobel Foundation raises the amount for this year's Nobel Prize awards to 11 million kronor". AP News. 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  4. ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (November 13, 2024). "A Master of Hawaiian Dance Wins the Gish Prize". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  5. ^ "Dutch author Guus Kuijer wins Astrid Lindgren memorial award", Alison Flood, The Guardian, 20 March 2012. Quote: "... the world's richest children's books prize, the Astrid Lindgren memorial award."
  6. ^ Pearson, Bryan (14 September 2007). "Abu Dhabi TV crowns 'Prince of Poets'". Variety.
  7. ^ "Saudia Arabia'S Eyad Hakami Wins Prince of Poets Title and AED 1,000,000!". www.dayofdubai.com. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  8. ^ "Carlos Fuentes Literary Prize Created". Latin American Herald Tribune. July 4, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  9. ^ "International Ibsen Award". International Ibsen Award. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  10. ^ Sabrina (2021-05-18). "World Editions - Maryse Condé Awarded the Prix Mondial Cino del Duca 2021". World Editions. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  11. ^ https://scroll.in/article/1066374/sheikh-zayed-book-award-announces-the-2024-winners-in-seven-categories
  12. ^ Werner Bloch (October 19, 2012). "Big Words, Big Prize-Money". Qantara.de. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  13. ^ Juan Gabriel Vásquez ganó el premio Alfaguara de novela Archived 2014-04-19 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Charles McGrath. "A Writer’s Estate to Yield $150,000 Literary Prizes", New York Times, June 17, 2011.
  15. ^ Carolyn Kellogg (June 20, 2011). "Yale to launch $150,000 writing award". LA Times. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  16. ^ "Javier Moro Wins Spain's Planeta Prize". Latin American Herald Tribune. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  17. ^ "Mike Davis recognized for literary achievements". UC Irvine. November 9, 2007. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  18. ^ "FIL Prize in Romance Languages". Poets&Writers. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  19. ^ Hewitt, Chris (2024-05-15). "University of Minnesota professor V.V. Ganeshananthan wins $150,000 literary prize for 'Brotherless Night'". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  20. ^ "Sonning Prize at the University of Copenhagen". University of Copenhagen. 24 November 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  21. ^ David Carr (November 27, 2008). "Marse Wins Cervantes Prize". New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  22. ^ a b Giles Tremlett (3 September 2009). "Philip Kerr wins €125,000 RBA crime writing prize". The Guardian. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  23. ^ "Premio de Novela Fernando Lara". PlanetadeLibros. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  24. ^ Alfonso Fernandez (2008). "Colombia's Ospina Receives Romulo Gallegos Lit Prize in Venezuela". Latin American Herald Tribune. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  25. ^ "Premio Primavera de Novela website". PlanetadeLibros. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  26. ^ "Dutch writer wins world's biggest literature prize". DutchNews.nl. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  27. ^ "Premio Novela Histórica Alfonso X El Sabio". PlanetadeLibros. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  28. ^ "Literature: Brazilian author Dalton Trevisan awarded "Camões Prize" – Portugal". Portuguese American Journal. 22 May 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  29. ^ "Brasileiro Murilo Antonio Carvalho ganha Prêmio Leya de Literatura" (in Portuguese). Folha Online. October 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  30. ^ "Nuno Camarneiro vence Prémio LeYa" (in Portuguese). JL, Jornal de Letras, Artes e Ideias. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  31. ^ "Gabriela Ruivo Trindade vence Prémio LeYa" (in Portuguese). Leya News. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  32. ^ "Mexico creates prize to honor literary translators". Fox News. August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  33. ^ "Hamad Award". Hamad Award. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  34. ^ The Nigeria Prize for Literature Competition Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, official website.
  35. ^ Tolulope Odeyemi. "On the hundred thousand dollar prize" Archived 2011-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, Next, June 26, 2011
  36. ^ "Max Hastings Receives 2012 Pritzker Military Award". Publishers Weekly. Jun 19, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  37. ^ "Awards" Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine, webpage maintained by The Poetry Foundation. Online version retrieved May 22, 2008.
  38. ^ Kinzer, Stephen (2004). "Poetry Starts to Wear $100 Million Crown", The New York Times October 7, 2004. Online version retrieved May 22, 2008.
  39. ^ "Wallace Stevens Award". Academy of American Poets. Archived from the original on 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  40. ^ Dennis Hevesi (August 10, 2012). "Sami Rohr, Jewish Philanthropist Remembered by a Writing Prize, Dies at 86". New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  41. ^ Dave Itzkoff (February 3, 2010). "$100,000 Poetry Prize Goes to D. A. Powell". New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  42. ^ Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Award for Scientific and Cultural Achievement Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, award criteria for Scientific and Cultural Achievement
  43. ^ Gili Izikovich (October 1, 2015). "Amos Oz Picked for South Korea's Top Literary Prize". Haaretz. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  44. ^ Claire Armitstead (29 March 2011). "Shaun Tan wins Astrid Lindgren prize". The Guardian. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  45. ^ "Chinese history title wins Cundill". BookBrunch. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  46. ^ "Call For Award". riberadelduero.es. July 25, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  47. ^ Staff writer (19 February 2012). "OMG: Text speak short story in running for £30,000 prize". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  48. ^ Jeff Heinrich (March 31, 2011). "Your key to winning $50,000? Pure poetry". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2011. We realized that there's nothing on that scale for just one poem. And so there was an opportunity there. And when we started to think of it globally, that's when we realized how unique it could be.