Literary award · United States · since 1975

Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize

Award. Established 1975 in United States.

About Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize

The Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize is a literary award presented annually for the "best book-length work of prose fiction" by an American woman. The award has been given by the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women's Studies and the Department of English at the University of Rochester since 1975. Each winner is awarded $15,000. The prize is named for a 30-year-old editor killed in an auto accident. Family, friends, and associates in the publishing industry endowed the prize as a memorial to Kafka and "the literary standards and personal ideals for which she stood".

From the Wikipedia article “Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2021Danielle Valore EvansOffice of Historical Corrections
2015Mia Alvar—
2014Jacinda Townsend—
2013Ru Freeman—
2011Amy Waldman—
2006Nell Freudenberger—
2005Jill Ciment—
2004Sarah Shun-lien Bynum—
2003Kate Moses—
2002Joyce Hackett—
2001Edie Meidav—
2000Carrie Brown—
1998Nicole MonesLost in Translation

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

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Janet Heidinger Kafka 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