Literary award · United States · since 1980

Dos Passos Prize

Annual award for writers in the middle of their career exploring specifically American themes (1980–). Established 1980 in United States.

About Dos Passos Prize

The John Dos Passos Prize is an annual literary award given to American writers. The Prize was founded at Longwood University in 1980 and is meant to honor John Dos Passos by recognizing other writers in his name. The prize is administered by a committee from the Department of English and Modern Languages; the chair of the committee also serves as the chair of the prize jury. Other members on the committee include the immediate past recipient and a distinguished critic, editor, or scholar. Recipients of the prize receive $5,000 and a bronze medal engraved with their name.

From the Wikipedia article “Dos Passos Prize”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2020Aleksandar Hemon—
2017Danzy Senna—
2015Paul Beatty—
2014Ruth Ozeki—
2012Colson Whitehead—
2010Percival Everett—
2009Robert Bausch—
2008Allen Wier—
2006Kent Haruf—
2005Tim Gautreaux—
2004Maureen Howard—
2003Richard Powers—
2002Randall Kenan—

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Dos Passos Prize for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data