Aspen Words Literary Prize
Forecasted
Aspen Words Literary Prize honors authors of influential novels and short story collections that illuminate vital contemporary issues and demonstrate literature’s power to transform thought and culture.
Funder: Aspen Institute
Due Dates (Anticipated): August 2027 (Nomination deadline)
Funding Amounts: $35,000 annual literary prize
Summary: Recognizes influential fiction that illuminates vital contemporary issues and demonstrates literature’s transformative power on thought and culture.
Key Information: Only publishers may submit nominations; authors cannot submit their own work.
Description
The Aspen Words Literary Prize is an annual award administered by Aspen Words, a program of the Aspen Institute. It honors an influential novel or short story collection that brings a vital contemporary issue into focus and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture. The prize focuses on fiction with a social impact and is open to authors of any nationality.
Eligible work may address violence, inequality, gender, environmental challenges, immigration, justice, religion, race, or other social issues. Books need not be set in contemporary times, but historical settings should provide context that increases understanding of current issues. The prize forms part of Aspen Words’ broader mission to bring readers and writers together, champion new voices, and celebrate the power of stories.
