The National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States. Started in 1950, the awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the prior year, as well as lifetime achievement awards including the "Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters" and the "Literarian Award". The purpose of the awards is "to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to...
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The National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States. Started in 1950, the awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the prior year, as well as lifetime achievement awards including the "Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters" and the "Literarian Award". The purpose of the awards is "to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America." In 1988 the National Book Foundation was established which now oversees and manages the National Book Awards.
Awards are given in each of four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people's literature. Awards have been given in various other categories, which have since been retired or subsumed into the remaining categories.
The winners are selected in each category by an independent, expert and volunteer five-member judging panel. Panels typically consider hundreds of books...
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