Literary award · United States · since 1969

Neustadt International Prize for Literature

Literary award. Established 1969 in United States.

About Neustadt International Prize for Literature

The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award for literature sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, World Literature Today. It is considered one of the more prestigious international literary prizes, often compared with the Nobel Prize in Literature. The New York Times called the prize “The Oklahoma Nobel” in 1982, and the prize is sometimes referred to as the “American Nobel”. Since it was founded in 1970, some 30 of its laureates, candidates, or jurors have also been awarded Nobel Prizes. Like the Nobel, it is awarded to individuals for their entire body of work, not for a single one.

From the Wikipedia article “Neustadt International Prize for Literature”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2026Ibrahim Nasrallah—
2022Boubacar Boris Diop—
2020Ismail Kadare—
2018Edwidge Danticat—
2016Dubravka Ugrešić—
2012Rohinton Mistry—
2008Patricia Grace—
2006Claribel Alegría—
2004Adam Zagajewski—
2002Álvaro Mutis—
2000David Malouf—
1996Assia Djebar—

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

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature 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