Literary Awards

Europe’s multi-cultural landscape offers a wealth of literary awards recognizing the finest achievements in contemporary literature across multiple genres. Browse awards here.

Selected literary awards

Established in 1995, the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award is an annual award for Irish authors. The winner is announced at the opening ceremony of the Listowel Writer’s Week. Endowed with 20,000 EUR, the award is the largest monetary prize for fiction available solely to Irish authors.

The An Post Irish Book Awards are a set of industry-recognition awards set up by a coalition of Irish booksellers in 2007. The winners are annually selected by readers, and libraries and bookshops showcase the best books of the year in the critical sales period of the fourth quarter. The promotion around the shortlists and winners aims to expand the audience of Irish literature nationally and internationally. The honored works are celebrated at an Awards Dinner.

Established in 1971 by the Patrick Kavanagh Society, the Poetry Award is awarded to emerging poets living in Ireland or with Irish heritage. It honors a collection of 20 poems, not yet published, and aims to capture a diverse range of poetic voices. The writer of the winning entry receives 2,000 EUR in recognition of their achievement.

The KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards are the leading annual children’s book awards in Ireland. Established in 1990, these awards identify, honor and promote excellence in books for young people by Irish authors and illustrators. KPMG sponsors the awards since 2020, thus there is a total prize fund of 16,000 EUR.

The Markievicz Award was established to honor Constance Markievicz as the first woman to be elected to parliament. It is awarded by the Arts Council of Ireland on behalf of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, and is open via a public call to artists working in all arts genres supported by the Arts Council. The prize is endowed with 25,000 EUR and provides support to artists from all backgrounds and genres.