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The United States has a rich literary culture. The nation has gifted the world iconic writers like Ernest Hemmingway, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, and Scott Fitzgerald to name just a few. Literary personalities in the United States have been seen as beacons of hope whose works have kept humanity alive. Their works have upheld values of goodness—so important in an age of moral decay. Literary personalities have been rewarded with awards in America, much coveted in the literary world. We bring you some of the top bodies rewarding writers and a few top literary awards.
American Academy of Arts and Letters
The Academy identifies and encourages individual artists intending to generate and keep alive interest in the fields of Fine Arts, Music, and Literature. The body presents 17 literary awards every year including the coveted Arthur Rense Prize and the Thornton Wilder Prize.
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards are recognition for books that help understand racism while appreciating the rich diversity that human culture displays.
Bancroft Prize (Columbia University)
The Bancroft Prize is a yearly recognition of significant literary contributions to diplomacy or the rich history of the Americas. It’s awarded by the Columbia University trustees.
Carl Sandburg Literary Awards
The Chicago Public Library presents these awards in partnership with the Chicago Public Library Foundation. The Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner is held annually and its proceeds are put into supporting programs at the Chicago Public Library that encourage literary works contributing to intellectual enrichment.
Edward Lewis Wallant Award (University of Hartford)
The University of Hartford in Connecticut, USA established the Edward Lewis Wallant Award in 1962. This award is presented every year to an American writer whose work is considered to hold significant value for American Jews.
Man Booker Prize for Fiction
The much-coveted Man Booker Prize for Fiction is presented every year to what is picked as the very best book of the year. It was first awarded in 1969. The Man Booker International Prize is awarded every two years in recognition of impressive work in fiction. This prize was awarded for the first time in 2005.
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is presented to reward stellar contributions in not just literature, but journalism and music as well. Established by Joseph Pulitzer, the Hungarian-American publisher, it is administered by New York City’s Columbia University.
O. Henry Awards
The O. Henry Awards is a recognition of exceptional merit in short stories. The annual PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories is a collection of twenty short stories in English considered the best published in American and Canadian magazines.
Spur Awards
Awarded by the Western Writers of America, the Spur Award is a literary prize award presented annually.
Conclusion
Various bodies in the United States of America present coveted awards for literature that are respected the world over. These awards are recognition of literary works of exceptional merit. The winners are put in the spotlight right away and their works often go on to become bestsellers due to the massive publicity. Awards like the Man Booker Prize and the Pulitzer Prize are very coveted and their winners receive a lot of adulation. The United States has always admired literature and its awards are a major motivation for writers.
