Top 10 Highest Paying Literary Prizes in the United States

This list is a look at the top 10 Highest Paying Literary Prizes in the United States. If you won any of these prizes it would change your career forever and most-likely your life.

1. Nobel Prize $1,142,000 http://www.nobelprize.org/

This is the highest paying and most famous literary prize in the world. It is on the list because you walk away with over a $million. Yeah, I know it is not U.S. based, but leaving it out made the list seem….incomplete. Plus, the 1.1 million in prize money would change your career. The prestige alone from this prize would set you as a writer.

2. The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize $300,000 http://www.gishprize.com/

This prize is for the arts in general, but writers can win it too. It’s for creating something beautiful in the world. The $300,000 would certainly change your writing career.

3. Donald Windham-Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes $150,000 http://windhamcampbell.org/

Nine writers take away $150,000 each from this prize awarded by Yale University. $150,000 would change your writing career, it would at least help.

4. Lannan Literary Awards $150,00 http://www.lannan.org/literary/awards-and-fellowships/

New writers as well as established writers have walked away with this prize, so it’s up for grabs. If you win, you’ll walk away with $150,000.

5. Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize $100,000 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/foundation/prizes_lilly

We all know The Poetry Foundation (or we all should). This foundation is bringing poetry to the world from a $200 million endowment. They give the poetry prize every year. If you win you walk away with prestige and $100,000.

6. Wallace Stevens Award $100,000 http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/107

Just as prestigious if not more so than the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, this award is the one every famous poet wants to be immortalized by. Wallace Steven’s in the name, helps, I think. It carries a $100,000

7. Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/awards/sami-rohr-prize.html

A yearly award where you will walk away with $100,000.

8. Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award $100,000 http://www.cgu.edu/pages/6056.asp

This award gives $100,000 to an emerging poet in mid-career. This would very much help someone struggling on a poet’s salary. You must already have a published body of work.

9 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award $100,000 http://www.tawanifoundation.org/LTA/

This is an award for 100,000 for the best military writing. It would certainly help pay the bills and buy you that camo typewriter you’ve been eyeballing at the local army surplus.

10. St. Francis College Literary Prize $50,000 http://www.sfc.edu/page.cfm?p=4045

Last prize on our list, and one of the newest. Wow the deadline is soon! (May 1st) This prize is for a writer in mid-career or someone who is publishing their 3rd-5th book. If you win you are award $50,000. This will certainly help get things rolling on your next book.

Surprisingly, The Pulitzer will change your life, but you will only walk away with $10,000. The Pen/Faulkner will certainly boost your academic career, but you will only have $15,000 to show for it. The National Book award might make you a best selling author, but you only walk away with $10,000.

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Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) is the founder of EveryWriter and a 25-year veteran of the publishing industry. With degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology, and Education, Richard has dedicated two decades to teaching writing and literature while championing emerging voices through EveryWriter's platform. His work focuses on making literary analysis accessible to readers at all levels while preserving the rich heritage of American literature. Connect with Richard on Twitter  Bluesky Facebook or explore opportunities to share your own work on ourSubmissions page. For monthly insights on writing and publishing, subscribe to our Newsletter.

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