PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is one of the most important literary prizes in the United States for fiction, recognising the best published work of fiction by an American citizen in a given year. The award was founded in 1981 by a group of writers who wanted to honour their peers, and it takes its name from the PEN literary organisation and the Nobel laureate William Faulkner, who donated his Nobel Prize money to establish a fund supporting young writers. Administered by PEN/Faulkner Foundation in Washington, D.C., the award is notable in the literary prize world for being judged entirely by writers, for writers. Five finalists are selected each year, with the winner receiving $15,000 and each finalist receiving $5,000. All eligible works must be written by American citizens and published in the United States during the year of consideration. Both novels and short story collections are eligible. The award has honoured an extraordinarily wide range of voices and styles over the decades, from established masters to debut authors, helping launch careers and spotlight literary risk-taking. Past winners include Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, E.L. Doctorow, and more recently Deesha Philyaw, Rabih Alameddine, and Garth Greenwell.