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International

International Literary Awards

Explore the world's most prestigious international literary awards from the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Discover 226+ award-winning books that have shaped global literature.

Total Awards

30

Total Winners

226+

Countries

8+

About International Literary Awards

International literary awards recognize exceptional writing from around the world, celebrating diverse voices, languages, and perspectives. These prizes shape reading cultures, influence translation decisions, and help readers discover works from different countries and traditions.

The Booker Prize (formerly the Man Booker Prize) stands as one of the most influential literary awards globally, recognizing the finest English-language fiction from the Commonwealth and beyond. France's Prix Goncourt, established in 1903, is the oldest of the major European prizes and can catapult an author to bestseller status overnight. Italy's Strega Prize holds similar prestige in Italian literature.

Why international awards matter: These prizes don't just recognize literary excellence—they shape reading cultures, influence translation decisions, and help readers discover masterworks from different countries and traditions. Many winners go on to be translated into dozens of languages, reaching global audiences they might never have found otherwise.

The landscape of international literary prizes has expanded significantly in recent decades, with new awards celebrating specific genres, regions, or forms of writing. From translation prizes that honor the art of bringing books across language barriers, to awards focused on debut authors or specific literary traditions, the ecosystem continues to evolve.

Browse our comprehensive collection below, organized by region, to discover award-winning literature from across Europe and the United Kingdom. Each award page includes complete winner lists with book covers, author information, summaries, and detailed book pages.

UK

United Kingdom Awards

16 prestigious literary awards from the United Kingdom

The People's Book Prize – Fiction

United KingdomEst. 2009

The fiction category of the UK People's Book Prize, decided by public vote.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

15

Most Recent (2026)

Ash and the Faceless Man

by D. Michelle Gent

The People's Book Prize – Non-Fiction

United KingdomEst. 2009

The non-fiction category of the UK People's Book Prize, decided by public vote.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

15

Most Recent (2026)

A Groundhog Career

by Dr. Helmut Schuster & Dr. David Oxley

The People's Book Prize – Children's

United KingdomEst. 2009

The children's literature category of the UK People's Book Prize, decided by public vote.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

15

Most Recent (2026)

Augmented

by Kenechi Udogu

The Booker Prize

United KingdomEst. 1969

The leading literary award in the English-speaking world, awarded annually for the best novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland.

Prize Amount

£50,000

Winners

21

Most Recent (2025)

Flesh

by David Szalay

International Booker Prize

United KingdomEst. 2005

Awarded for a single book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. The prize is split between author and translator.

Prize Amount

£50,000

Winners

11

Most Recent (2026)

Taiwan Travelogue

by Yang Shuang-zi

Women's Prize for Fiction

United KingdomEst. 1996

Celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women throughout the world. Previously known as the Orange Prize.

Prize Amount

£30,000

Winners

22

Most Recent (2026)

The Correspondent

by Virginia Evans

Women's Prize for Non-Fiction

United KingdomEst. 2023

Companion prize celebrating excellence in non-fiction writing by women.

Prize Amount

£30,000

Winners

0

Costa Book Awards

United KingdomEst. 1971 — 2022

Formerly the Whitbread Book Awards, honoured books across multiple categories by authors resident in UK/Ireland. Discontinued in 2022.

Prize Amount

£30,000

Winners

0

Nero Book Awards

United KingdomEst. 2023

Launched to fill the gap left by Costa, celebrating the best reads of the year by UK and Ireland-based writers.

Prize Amount

£15,000

Winners

3

Most Recent (2025)

A Family Matter

by Claire Lynch

British Book Awards

United KingdomEst. 1990

Known as the "Nibbies", these awards recognize literary quality and commercial success, plus the industry behind bringing books to readers.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

0

James Tait Black Memorial Prize

United KingdomEst. 1919

Britain's oldest literary award, administered by the University of Edinburgh.

Prize Amount

£10,000

Winners

0

Arthur C. Clarke Award

United KingdomEst. 1987

Presented for the best science fiction novel first published in the UK during the previous year.

Prize Amount

£2,025

Winners

0

T.S. Eliot Prize

United KingdomEst. 1993

The most prestigious poetry prize in the UK, awarded by the Poetry Book Society.

Prize Amount

£25,000

Winners

0

Dylan Thomas Prize

United KingdomEst. 2006

Awarded to the best published literary work in English by an author aged 39 or under.

Prize Amount

£20,000

Winners

0

Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

United KingdomEst. 1999

The most prestigious non-fiction prize in the UK, formerly known as the Samuel Johnson Prize.

Prize Amount

£50,000

Winners

21

Most Recent (2025)

How to End a Story: Collected Diaries

by Helen Garner

The Orwell Prizes

United KingdomEst. 1994

Prizes for political writing that comes closest to George Orwell's ambition to make political writing into an art.

Prize Amount

£3,000

Winners

0

EU

European Union Awards

13 prestigious literary awards from across Europe

European Union Prize for Literature

European UnionEst. 2009

Recognizes the best emerging fiction writers in Europe, highlighting the wealth of creativity and diversity of European contemporary literature.

Prize Amount

€5,000

Winners

0

Prix Goncourt

FranceEst. 1903

France's most prestigious literary award, given annually to the author of the best and most imaginative prose work of the year.

Prize Amount

€10

Winners

21

Most Recent (2025)

La Maison vide

by Laurent Mauvignier

Prix Femina

FranceEst. 1904

One of the major French literary prizes, awarded by an all-female jury.

Prize Amount

None

Winners

0

Prix Renaudot

FranceEst. 1926

Major French literary prize announced on the same day as the Prix Goncourt.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

0

Prix Médicis

FranceEst. 1958

French literary prize rewarding a novel or collection of short stories by an author whose fame does not yet match their talent.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

0

German Book Prize

GermanyEst. 2005

Awarded annually during the Frankfurt Book Fair for the best German-language novel of the year.

Prize Amount

€25,000

Winners

21

Most Recent (2025)

Die Holländerinnen

by Dorothee Elmiger

Georg Büchner Prize

GermanyEst. 1923

The most important literary award in Germany, recognizing writers who have made significant contributions to German-language literature.

Prize Amount

€50,000

Winners

0

Premio Strega

ItalyEst. 1947

Italy's most prestigious literary prize, awarded annually for the best Italian-language novel.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

21

Most Recent (2025)

L'anniversario

by Andrea Bajani

Premio Campiello

ItalyEst. 1963

Major Italian literary award presented annually for Italian fiction.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

0

Premio Planeta

SpainEst. 1952

The richest literary prize in the Spanish-speaking world, awarded for unpublished Spanish-language fiction.

Prize Amount

€1,000,000

Winners

0

Premio Nadal

SpainEst. 1944

The oldest literary prize in Spain, awarded annually for Spanish-language novels.

Prize Amount

€30,000

Winners

0

International Dublin Literary Award

IrelandEst. 1996

Unique among international literary prizes as nominations come from public libraries worldwide.

Prize Amount

€100,000

Winners

0

Prix Interallié

FranceEst. 1930

French literary prize awarded by journalists to a novel by a French journalist.

Prize Amount

Varies

Winners

0