The will of Joseph Pulitzer, a crusading newspaper journalist, provided for the establishment of the Pulitzer Prizes. Since its inception in 1917, the prizes have recognized the best in journalism, letters, drama and music.

The annual National Book Critics Circle Awards honor a variety of books.

The Costa Book Awards recognize books in several categories: novel, first novel, biography, poetry and children's. It is open to authors who have lived for at least three years in Great Britain or Ireland.

The American Book Awards, started in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation, aims to encourage diversity in American writing by recognizing contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background or genre.

The British Book Industry Awards honor all sectors of the book business in Britain.

Swedish engineer Alfred Nobel provided for the establishment of the Nobel Foundation in his will in 1895. Since 1901, it has recognized achievement in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics.

The National Book Award is given by the National Book Foundation with a $10,000 prize.

The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are Scotland's most prestigious and the U.K.'s oldest literary awards. The prizes have achieved an international reputation for their recognition of literary excellence in biography and fiction.

The Guardian First Book Award recognizes an author's first book, whether it is fiction, non-fiction or poetry. It previously existed under a different format as the Guardian Fiction Prize.

The Man Booker International Prize recognises one writer for their achievement in fiction. 2005 saw the awarding of the inaugural prize. The prize will be awarded once every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English, or generally available in translation in the English language.

The Governor General's Literary Awards recognize books by Canadians regardless of where they were published.

The Audie Awards, given annually by the Audio Publishers Association, recognize achievement in the area of audio books.

The Bread Loaf Bakeless Prize, conducted by the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference of Middlebury College, aims to support emerging writers. It is named for college supporter Katharine Bakeless Nason.

This is an annual award of £10,000 for a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, evoking the spirit of a place.

The Lannan Literary Award was started in 1989 to recognize both new and established writers of the highest caliber. It is sponsored by the Lannan Foundation, a private family foundation dedicated to promoting cultural freedom, diversity and creativity.

Since 1988, the Minnesota Book Awards have honored the state's authors, illustrators and editors.

The Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize is sponsored by the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Institute and the University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim. It aims to promote books that will contribute to greater understanding and cooperation among the peoples and nations of the Pacific Rim.

New Writing Ventures is an annual series of major national prizes and awards for emerging writers in poetry, fiction and non-fiction, launched by The New Writing Partnership.