The 15th Lambda Literary Awards were held in 2003 to honour works of LGBT literature published in 2002.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Bridge Builder Award | Betty DeGeneres |
| Editor's Choice Award | John D'Emilio, The World Turned |
| Pioneer Award | Barbara Grier, Judy Shepard |
| Small Press Award | Kings Crossing Publishing |
| Category | Winner | Nominated |
|---|---|---|
| Anthologies/Fiction | Devon Carbado, Dwight McBride and Don Weise, eds., Black Like Us |
|
| Anthologies/Non-Fiction | Bruce Shenitz, The Man I Might Become |
|
| Autobiography/Memoir | Betty Berzon, Surviving Madness |
|
| Biography | David Kaufman, Ridiculous! |
|
| Children's/Young Adult | Bonnie Shimko, Letters in the Attic |
|
| Erotica | Tristan Taormino, ed., Best Lesbian Erotica 2003 |
|
| Gay Fiction | Jamie O'Neill, At Swim, Two Boys |
|
| Gay Mystery | Christopher Rice, The Snow Garden |
|
| Gay Poetry | J. D. McClatchy, Hazmat |
|
| Humor | Dan Savage, Skipping Towards Gomorrah |
|
| Lesbian Fiction | Sarah Waters, Fingersmith |
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| Lesbian Mystery | Elizabeth Woodcraft, Good Bad Woman |
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| Lesbian Poetry | Ellen Bass, Mules of Love |
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| LGBT Studies | Neil Miller, Sex-Crime Panic |
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| Romance | Andrew W. M. Beierle, The Winter of Our Discothèque |
|
| Science fiction, fantasy or horror | Michael Rowe, ed., Queer Fear II |
|
| Spirituality | Geoffrey Duncan, Courage to Love |
|
| Transgender | Noelle Howey, Dress Codes |
|
| Visual arts | Dominique Fernandez, A Hidden Love |
|
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the United States-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works that celebrate or explore LGBT themes. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the official year of the award; the presentation ceremony is held a year later. The Lambda Literary Foundation states that its mission is "to celebrate LGBT literature and provide resources for writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians - the whole literary community."
The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to a work of fiction on gay male themes. As the award is presented based on themes in the work, not the sexuality or gender of the writer, women and heterosexual men may also be nominated for or win the award.
The Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to a work of fiction on lesbian themes. As the award is presented based on themes in the work, not the sexuality or gender of the writer, men and heterosexual women may also be nominated for or win the award.
The Lambda Literary Award for Drama is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to an LGBT-related literary or theatrical work. Most nominees are plays, or anthologies of plays; however, non-fiction works on theatre or drama have also sometimes been nominated for the award.
The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to a gay-themed book of poetry by a male writer.
The Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to a lesbian-themed book of poetry by a female writer. At the first two Lambda Literary Awards in 1989 and 1990, a single award for LGBT Poetry, irrespective of gender, was presented. Beginning with the 3rd Lambda Literary Awards in 1991, the poetry award was split into two separate awards for Lesbian Poetry and Gay Poetry, which have been presented continuously since then except at the 20th Lambda Literary Awards in 2008, when a merged LGBTQ poetry award was again presented for that year only.
The Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works that celebrate or explore LGBT themes. The organization is considered to be one of the main promoters of new and emerging LGBT writers.
The Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Graphic Novel is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a graphic novel with LGBT themes. As the award is presented based on themes in the work, not the sexuality or gender of the writer, non-LGBT individuals may be nominated for or win the award.
The Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir/Biography is an annual literary award established in 1994, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a memoir, biography, autobiography, or works of creative nonfiction by or about lesbians. Works published posthumously and/or written with co-authors are eligible, but anthologies are not.
The Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Studies is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, presented to scholarly work that address "issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, and oriented toward academia, libraries, cultural professionals, and the more academic reader." Most works are published by university presses.
The Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, that awards books with bisexual content. The award can be separated into three categories: bisexual fiction, bisexual nonfiction, and bisexual poetry. Awards are granted based on literary merit and bisexual content, and therefore, the writer may be homo-, hetero-, or asexual.
The Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Literature is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, that awards books with transgender content. Awards are granted based on literary merit and transgender content, and therefore, the writer may be cisgender. The award can be separated into three categories: transgender fiction, transgender nonfiction, and transgender poetry, though early iterations of the award included categories for bisexual/transgender literature, transgender/genderqueer literature, and transgender literature.
The Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a mystery novel by or about lesbians. The award was established in 1989 and ran until 2020 when the Foundation combined all mystery awards into a single Lambda Literary Award for Mystery.
The Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Romance is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a novel, novella, or short story collection "by a single author that focus on a central love relationship between two or more characters."
The Lambda Literary Award for Anthology is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, that awards "[c]ollections of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry" with LGBT content. The award has been included since the first Lambda Literary Award ceremony but has included different iterations.
The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir/Biography is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a memoir, biography, autobiography, or works of creative nonfiction by or about gay men. Works published posthumously and/or written with co-authors are eligible, but anthologies are not.
The Lambda Literary Award for Nonfiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, that awards LGBT-themed nonfiction books whose intended audience is "general readers, as opposed to those targeted primarily to scholarly audiences." Anthologies and memoirs are not included as they have their own categories.
The Lambda Literary Award for Erotica is an annual literary award established in 2002 and presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation that awards books with LGBT characters and "whose content is principally of an erotic nature." "Anthologies, novels, novellas, graphic novels, memoirs, and short story collections" are eligible for the award.
Jean Stewart is an American author of science fiction novels. Her Isis books have thrice been finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Romance is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a novel, novella, or short story collection "by a single author that focus on a central love relationship between two or more characters."