PEN Announces Its 2021 Literary Awards Longlists - Pawners Paper

PEN America announces the longlists for the 2021 PEN America Literary Awards. The awards are said to be juried by panels of esteemed, award-winning...

PEN Announces Its 2021 Literary Awards Longlists

PEN America announces the longlists for the 2021 PEN America Literary Awards. The awards are said to be juried by panels of esteemed, award-winning writers, editors, translators, and critics. These authors are committed to recognizing their contemporaries, from promising debut writers to those who have had a continuous, lasting impact on literary excellence. 

PEN American has been known for its stand against the persecution of writers and efforts to bring an end to such. Its know for advocating for many writers who have been trialed in Iran, even canvassed for the protesters in Nigeria during the End Sara protests.

However, The 2021 PEN America Literary Awards will confer over $380,000 to writers and translators. Spanning fiction, nonfiction, poetry, biography, essay, science writing, translation, and more, these longlisted books are dynamic, diverse, and thought-provoking examples of literary excellence.

Announcement Of Finalists

The names of the finalists for all book awards will be announced in February 2021. 

The List Of The Book Awards Are:

PEN/JEAN STEIN BOOK AWARD ($75,000)

PEN Jean Stein Book Award longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

To a book-length work of any genre for its originality, merit, and impact, which has broken new ground by reshaping the boundaries of its form and signaling strong potential for lasting influence.

Judges: Vievee Francis, Fred Moten, Tommy Orange

PEN OPEN BOOK AWARD ($10,000)

PEN Open Book Award longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

To an exceptional book-length work of any literary genre by an author of color.

Judges: Toi Derricotte, Brandon Hobson, Katie Kitamura, Jamil Jan Kochai, Akil Kumarasamy, Solmaz Sharif

PEN/ROBERT W. BINGHAM PRIZE FOR DEBUT SHORT STORY COLLECTION ($25,000)

PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

To an author whose debut collection of short stories represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise for future work.

Judges: Ben Marcus, Elizabeth McCracken, Ingrid Rojas Contreras

PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD FOR DEBUT NOVEL ($10,000)

PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

To a debut novel of exceptional literary merit by an American author

PEN/VOELCKER AWARD FOR POETRY COLLECTION ($5,000)

PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

To a poet whose distinguished collection of poetry represents a notable and accomplished literary presence.

Judges: Sherwin Bitsui, Cynthia Cruz, Terrance Hayes, Claudia Keelan, Bao Phi

PEN AWARD FOR POETRY IN TRANSLATION ($3,000)

PEN Award for Poetry in Translation longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

For a book-length translation of poetry from any language into English.

PEN TRANSLATION PRIZE ($3,000)

PEN Translation Prize longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

For a book-length translation of prose from any language into English.

PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD FOR THE ART OF THE ESSAY ($15,000)

PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

For a seasoned writer whose collection of essays is an expansion on their corpus of work and preserves the distinguished art form of the essay.

Judges: Sandra Cisneros, John D’Agata, Adam Gopnik

PEN/E.O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD ($10,000)

PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

For a work that exemplifies literary excellence on the subject of the physical or biological sciences and communicates complex scientific concepts to a lay audience.

PEN/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY ($5,000)

PEN/Jaqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

For a biography of exceptional literary, narrative, and artistic merit, based on scrupulous research.

Judges: Nicholas Buccola, Karl Jacoby, Nell Painter, Anna Whitelock

PEN/JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH AWARD FOR NONFICTION ($10,000)

PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction longlisted book covers; golden rays sticking out from both sides horizontally

For a distinguished book of general nonfiction possessing notable literary merit and critical perspective that illuminates important contemporary issues. 

Judges: Roxane Gay, Thomas Page McBee, Dunya Mikhail, Eric Schlosser, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Laura Wides-Muñoz

To read more about the names of the writers who made the longlist, check their names on their official website