List of LGBTQ literary awards
A list of literary awards for LGBTQ literature and books with queer content. This page uses the following acronyms, all of which may be considered synonymous:
- LGBT: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
- LGBT+: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer identities
- LGBTQ: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer / questioning
- LGBTQIA: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/ questioning, intersex, asexual
Awards
| Sponsor | Award / Category | Awarded to | Years Active |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Alice B Readers Appreciation Committee | The Alice B Readers Award | For living writers who have consistently produced well-written stories and novels about lesbians.[1] | 2004–present |
| American Library Association's Rainbow Round Table | Over the Rainbow Book List | Books for adult readers with "commendable literary quality and significant, authentic [LGBTQIA+)] content"[2] | 2011–present |
| Rainbow Book List | Books celebrating LGBTQIA+ youth and families, for readers from birth to age 18[3] | 2008–present | |
| Stonewall Book Award (SBA) | Books of exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience.[4] Split into further awards in 1990 and 2010.[5] | 1971–present | |
| SBA - Barbara Gittings Literature Award | Stonewall Book Award, literature category[5] | 1990–present | |
| SBA - Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award | Stonewall Book Award, non-fiction category[5] | ||
| SBA - Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award | Stonewall Book Award, children and young adult literature category[5] | 2010–present | |
| Association for Queer Anthropology | Ruth Benedict Prize | For anthropology books about LGBTQ topics[6] | 1986–present |
| Bi Writers Association | Bisexual Book Awards | Best works of literature addressing themes of bisexuality | 2013–present |
| Blue Metropolis | Blue Metropolis Violet Prize | Established LGBTQ writer to honour their body of work | 2018–present |
| Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation's Rainbow Awards | Fiction of the Year | Novels, graphic novels or collections of short stories authored by a single author that is an "exemplary" affirmative work on the lives of sexual and gender minorities. | 2023–present |
| Non-fiction of the Year | Memoirs, biographies, history or other non-fictional works that is an "exemplary" affirmative work on the lives of sexual and gender minorities. | ||
| Feature of the Year | Feature story that is an "exemplary" affirmative work on the lives of sexual and gender minorities. | ||
| Op-Ed of the Year | An op-ed piece that is an "exemplary" affirmative work on the lives of sexual and gender minorities. | ||
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Profound contributions to the queer literary world. | ||
| Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation | Best novel | Science fiction, fantasy, and horror works that explore LGBT topics in a positive way. Split into categories for novels, short fiction, and other texts. | 1999–present |
| Best short fiction | |||
| Best other work | |||
| Glamour | Prix République du Glamour | French novels with lesbian content | |
| Golden Crown Literary Society's Goldie Awards | Ann Bannon Award | Book selected as a favorite among Golden Crown Literary Society members | 2007–present |
| Contemporary Romance | Modern novel with a focus on a lesbian relationship: split into categories for short, mid-length, and long novels.
|
||
| Debut Authors | Debut novel with lesbian content | 2006–present | |
| Directors Award | Golden Crown Literary Society member for contribution to the Society | ||
| Erotic Novels | Novel with a "high level of sexual content" between women[7]
|
2007–present | |
| Fiction Anthology/Collections | Anthologies with significant lesbian content | ||
| General Fiction | Novel with lesbian content that is not the main focus of the book
|
2007–present | |
| Historical Fiction | Novel set at least 25 years in the past with lesbian content that is not the main focus of the book | ||
| Humorous Novels | Comedic novels with lesbian content | ||
| Mystery/Thriller/Crime | Mystery, thriller, or crime novel with lesbian content | 2005–present | |
| New Adult Fiction | Novels with lesbian content whose target audience is people aged 19–29 | ||
| Nonfiction | Nonfiction works with lesbian content | ||
| Paranormal/Occult/Horror | Novels with paranormal, occult, or horror elements as part of the main plot that also include lesbian content | ||
| Poetry | Poetry with lesbian content | ||
| Romantic Blend | Novels with two main focuses, one of which is a lesbian relationship | ||
| Science Fiction/Fantasy | Science fiction or fantasy novels with lesbian content | 2005–present | |
| Short Story/Essay Collections | 2007- | ||
| Speculative Fiction | 2007- | ||
| Young Adult | Young adult novels with lesbian content | ||
| The Lee Lynch Classic Book Award | Classic books with lesbian content | ||
| Tee Corinne Award for Outstanding Cover Design | Book with a cover selected as a favourite among Golden Crown Literary Society members | ||
| Trailblazer Award | Writer in recognition of their lifetime achievement and contributions to lesbian literature | 2005–present | |
| Japanese Association for Gender, Fantasy & Science Fiction | Sense of Gender Awards | Science fiction or fantasy fiction that best explores and deepens the concept of gender | 2001–present |
| Green Carnation Committee in association with Foyles | Green Carnation Prize | Books by LGBTQ writers in the UK.[8][9][10] | 2014-2017 |
| Lambda Literary Foundation's Lambda Literary Awards | J. Michael Samuel Prize for Emerging Writers Over 50 | Authors who identify as LGBTQ who published their first book after the age of 50 | |
| Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction | Nonfiction authors who identify as lesbian or queer or who are transgender or gender non-conforming | ||
| Jim Duggins, PhD Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize | Authors who identify as LGBTQ and have published multiple well-received novels, seeming likely to publish more[11] | ||
| Judith A. Markowitz Award for Exceptional New LGBTQ Writers | Writers who identify as LGBTQ and have published one or two books, showing promise for their future writing careers[11] | ||
| AIDS Literature | Texts with HIV/AIDS content | (discontinued) | |
| Anthology | Anthologies with LGBT+ content. Previously divided into categories for anthologies about various LGBT identities. | ||
| Arts and Culture | (discontinued) | ||
| Belles Lettres | Works of Belles-lettres | (discontinued) | |
| Children's or Young Adult Literature | Children's and young adult texts with LGBT+ content | ||
| Debut Fiction | Debut fictional texts with LGBT+ content. Previously was divided into gay and lesbian debut fiction categories. | (discontinued) | |
| Drama | Drama with LGBT+ content | ||
| Editor's Choice | (discontinued) | ||
| Fiction | Fictional texts with LGBT+ content, often divided into categories based on identity. | ||
| Graphic Novel | Graphic novels with LGBT+ content | ||
| Humor | Humorous texts with LGBT+ content | (discontinued) | |
| Memoir or Biography | Memoirs or biographies with LGBT+ content | ||
Mystery
|
Mystery texts with LGBT+ content | ||
| Nonfiction | Nonfiction texts with LGBT+ content, sometimes split into categories based on identity | ||
| Poetry | Poetry with LGBT+ content, sometimes split into categories based on identity. | ||
| Romance & Erotica | Works of romance and erotica with LGBTQ+ content, sometimes divided into separate categories based on romance, erotica, or specific LGBTQ identities | ||
| LGBTQ+ Studies | Academic texts with LGBTQ+ content, sometimes split into categories by identity | ||
| Photography/Visual Arts | Photography and visual art works with LGBT+ content | (discontinued) | |
| Speculative Fiction | Science fiction, fantasy, or horror texts with LGBTQ+ content. Sometimes split into categories based on gay or lesbian identity. | ||
| Transgender Literature | Works with transgender content | ||
| Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction | Black LGBTQ fiction writers | ||
| Trustee Award | Individuals who have broken new ground in the field of LGBTQ literature, publishing, filmmaking, journalism, playwriting, etc. | ||
| Visionary Award | Individuals who have broken new ground in the field of LGBTQ literature and publishing. | ||
| Lesfic Bard Awards, LLC | Lesfic Bard Awards | Awards for lesbian writers. A triple-blind judging process is used to determine finalists and winners.[12] | 2018–present |
| Otherwise Award | Otherwise Award (formerly The James Tiptree Jr. Award) | Works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. Awarded yearly at WisCon.[13] | 1991–present |
| Polari Salon | Polari Children's and YA Prize | Books on LGBTQ+ themes by authors from the UK and Ireland.[14] | 2022– |
| Polari First Book Prize | 2011– | ||
| Polari Book Prize | 2019– | ||
| Publishing Triangle | Audre Lorde Award | Lesbian poetry | |
| Betty Berzon Award for Emerging Writers | Early career achievement of an LGBT+ writer | ||
| Bill Whitehead Award | Lifetime achievement by writers within the LGBT community | ||
| Edmund White Award | Debut novels by writers within the LGBT community | ||
| Ferro-Grumley Award | Fiction with LGBT content | ||
| Judy Grahn Award | Works of non-fiction of relevance to the lesbian community | ||
| Leslie Feinberg Award | Works of literature on transgender themes | ||
| Randy Shilts Award | Works of non-fiction of relevance to the gay community | ||
| Robert Chesley Award | Works by playwrights in the LGBT community | ||
| Thom Gunn Award | Works of gay male poetry | ||
| Writers' Trust of Canada | Dayne Ogilvie Prize | Emerging LGBT+ Canadian writer |
See also
References
- ^ "About the Alice B Awards Committee". Alice B Awards. Alice B Reader Appreciation Committee. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "Over the Rainbow Project book list | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ^ "Rainbow Book List". Rainbow Book List. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ^ "Stonewall Book Awards". American Library Association: Rainbow Roundtable. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ^ a b c d "Stonewall Book Awards History". American Library Association: Rainbow Roundtable. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ^ "The Ruth Benedict Prize". Association for Queer Anthropology. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ "Genre (Judged) Categories". Golden Crown Literary Society. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "The Green Carnation Prize 2016 shortlist: Best new gay fiction". The Irish Times. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- ^ "The Green Carnation Prize". Green Carnation Prize at Foyles. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ savidgereads (May 22, 2017). "The Winner of the Green Carnation Prize is..." The Green Carnation Prize 2016. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ a b "Special Awards". Lambda Literary. Archived from the original on October 5, 2025. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
- ^ "Who are the Lesfic Bard Awards?". The Lesfic Bard Awards | Celebrating Lesbian Literature: A Novel Idea. Archived from the original on March 31, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "What is the Otherwise Award?". The Otherwise Award. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "The Polari Prize 2024". Polari. Retrieved 2026-03-17.