William Saroyan International Prize for Writing

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The William Saroyan International Prize for Writing is a biennial literary award for fiction and nonfiction in the spirit of William Saroyan by emerging writers. It was established by Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation to "encourage new or emerging writers rather than recognize established literary figures;" [1] the prize being $12,500.

Contents

The Saroyan Prize was first awarded in 2003 for "newly published works of fiction including novels, short stories, dramas or memoirs." [1] Starting with the second round of awards in 2005, separate awards have been given for fiction and nonfiction. With the exception of a three year gap between the second and third rounds of awards, the prize has been awarded every two years since it was established.

Recipients

General (2003)

The first year the award was presented, winners and finalists not separated into genres.

Award winners and finalists [2]
YearAuthorTitleResultRef.
2003 Jonathan Safran Foer Everything is Illuminated Winner [3]
Hari Kunzru The Impressionist Finalist [4]
Adam Rapp NocturneFinalist [5]

Fiction (2005-present)

Fiction award winners, finalists, and shortlists [2]
YearAuthorTitleResultRef.
2005George HagenThe LamentsWinner [6]
Edward Docx The Calligrapher Finalist [6]
Aris Janigian BloodvineFinalist [6]
Julie Orringer How to Breathe UnderwaterFinalist [6]
Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman The King of CaliforniaWinner [6]
Tom Bissell Chasing the SeaFinalist [6]
David Laskin The Children's BlizzardFinalist [6]
2008 Nicole Krauss The History of Love Winner [7]
Pamela Erens The Understory Finalist [7]
Richard Lange Dead BoysFinalist [7]
2010 Rivka Galchen Atmospheric Disturbances Winner [8]
Elizabeth Kellyapologize, apologize!Finalist [8]
Peter Neofotis Concord, Virginia: A Southern Town in Eleven StoriesFinalist [8]
2012 Daniel Orozco Orientation and Other StoriesWinner [9]
Ben Lerner Leaving the Atocha Station Finalist [9]
Miroslav Penkov East of the West: A Country in StoriesFinalist [9]
2014 Kiese Laymon Long DivisionWinner [10]
Eric LundgrenThe FacadesFinalist [10]
Alexander Maksik A Marker to Measure DriftFinalist [10]
2016 T. Geronimo Johnson Welcome to Braggsville Winner [11] [12]
Amina Gautier Now We Will Be HappyFinalist [11]
John Keene CounternarrativesFinalist [11]
2018 Hernan Diaz In the Distance Winner [13] [14]
Scott Shibuya Brown The TradersFinalist [13]
Shanthi Sekaran Lucky Boy Finalist [13]
2020 Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Friday Black Winner [15]
Ayesha Harruna Attah The Hundred Wells of SalagaFinalist [15]
Helen DeWitt Some TrickFinalist [15]
2022 Claire Oshetsky ChouetteWinner [16] [17]
Siamak Vossoughi A Sense of the WholeFinalist [16]
Danielle Evans The Office of Historical Corrections Finalist [16]

Non-fiction (2005-present)

Non-fiction award winners, finalists, and shortlists [2]
YearAuthorTitleResultRef.
2005 Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman The King of CaliforniaWinner [6]
Tom Bissell Chasing the SeaFinalist [6]
David Laskin The Children's BlizzardFinalist [6]
2008 Kiyo Sato Dandelion Through the Crack: The Sato Family Quest for the American DreamWinner [7]
Adam David Miller Ticket to ExileFinalist [7]
John MoirReturn of the Condor: The Race to Save Our Largest Bird from ExtinctionFinalist [7]
2010 Linda Himelstein The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Sminov and the Upheaval of an EmpireWinner [8]
Brian Brett Trauma FarmFinalist [8]
Maryalice Huggins Aesop's MirrorFinalist [8]
2012 Elisabeth Tova Bailey The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating Winner [9]
Arion Golmakani Solacers Finalist [9]
John Jeremiah Sullivan Pulphead Finalist [9]
2014 Margalit Fox The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code Winner [10]
Daniel James Brown The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics Finalist [10]
2016 Lori Jakiela Belief is its Own Kind of Truth, MaybeWinner [11]
Elena Gorokhova Russian TattooFinalist [11]
Susan Southard Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear WarFinalist [11]
2018Robert MoorOn Trails: an ExplorationWinner [13]
Angela Palm Riverine: a Memoir from Anywhere but HereFinalist [13]
Edward Wilson-Lee Shakespeare in Swahililand: Adventures with the Ever-living PoetFinalist [13]
2020 Jennifer Croft Homesick: A MemoirWinner [15]
Alexander Chee How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: EssaysFinalist [15]
Carmen Maria Machado In the Dream House Finalist [15]
2022 Wayétu Moore The Dragons, the Giant, the WomenWinner [16] [17]
Shawna Kay KinFinalist [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 "University jointly sponsors new Saroyan Writing Prize to honor emerging authors: 04/02". 23 January 2023. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Prize Winners | Saroyan Prize". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  3. ↑ "2003 winner". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  4. ↑ "2003 finalist | Hari Kunzru | The Impressionist". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  5. ↑ "2003 finalist: Adam Rapp | Nocturne". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "2005". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2008". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2010". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2012". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "2014". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2016". Stanford Libraries . Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  12. ↑ "Awards: Simpson Family; Green Carnation". Shelf Awareness . 2017-05-02. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 ""In the Distance" and "On Trails" win the 2018 Stanford Libraries' William Saroyan International Prize for Writing". Stanford Libraries . 2018-07-30. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  14. ↑ Lefferts, Daniel (2022-03-04). "In Hernan Diaz's New Novel, Money Changes Everything". Publishers Weekly . Archived from the original on 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Jennifer Croft awarded the 2020 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing by Stanford Libraries". Stanford Libraries . 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Claire Oshetsky and Wayétu Moore awarded the 2022 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing". Stanford Libraries . 2022-08-24. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  17. 1 2 "Awards: Saroyan Winners". Shelf Awareness . 2022-08-30. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
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