All prizes are annual and were awarded in 2002 unless otherwise stated

Nobel Prize for Literature

Awarded since 1901; included in the behest of Alfred Nobel, who specified a prize for those who "shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." The prizewinners are selected in October by the Swedish Academy and receive the award on December 10 in Stockholm. Prize: a gold medal and an award that varies from year to year; in 2002 the award was SKr 10 million (about $1 million).

Imre Kertész (Hungary)

International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

First awarded in 1996; the largest and most international prize of its kind and is open to books written in any language, the award is a joint initiative of Dublin City Council, the Municipal Government of Dublin City, and the productivity-improvement company IMPAC. It is administered by Dublin City Public Libraries. Prize: €100,000 (about $100,000), of which 25% goes to the translator if the book was not written in English, and a Waterford Crystal trophy. The awards are given at Dublin Castle by the president of Ireland in May or June.

Atomised by Michel Houellebecq (France), translated from the French by Frank Wynne

Neustadt International Prize for Literature

Established in 1969 and awarded biennially by the University of Oklahoma and World Literature Today. Novelists, poets, and dramatists are equally eligible. Prize: $50,000, a replica of an eagle feather cast in silver, and a certificate.

Álvaro Mutis (Colombia)

Commonwealth Writers Prize

Established in 1987 by the Commonwealth Foundation. In 2002 there was one award of £10,000 (about $15,725) for the best book submitted and an award of £3,000 (about $4,725) for the best first book. In each of the four regions of the Commonwealth, two prizes of £1,000 (about $1,575) are awarded: one for the best book and one for the best first book.

Best Book Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan (Australia)

Best First Book Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Manu Herbstein (South Africa--an electronic book)

Regional winners--Best Book

Africa The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)

Caribbean & Canada Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro (Canada)

Eurasia Atonement by Ian McEwan (British)

Southeast Asia & South

Booker Prize

Established in 1969 and sponsored by Booker McConnell Ltd. and, beginning in 2002, the Man Group; administered by the National Book League in the U.K. Awarded to the best full-length novel written by a citizen of the U.K., Ireland, Pakistan, or the Commonwealth and published in the U.K. during the 12 months ended September 30. Prize: £50,000 (about $78,750) for the winner; £2,500 (almost $4,000) for each author on the shortlist.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Canada)

Whitbread Book of the Year

Established in 1971. The winners of the Whitbread Book Awards for Poetry, Biography, Novel, and First Novel as well as the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year, in addition to winning £5,000 (about $7,875) apiece, are eligible for the £25,000 (about $39,375) Whitbread Book of the Year prize.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (2001 award)

Orange Prize for Fiction

Established in 1996. Awarded to a work of published fiction written by a woman in English and published in the U.K. during the 12 months ended March 31. Prize: £30,000 (about $47,250).

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

PEN/Faulkner Award

The PEN/Faulkner Foundation each year recognizes the best published works of fiction by contemporary American writers. Named for William Faulkner, the PEN/Faulkner Award was founded by writers in 1980 to honour their peers and is now the largest juried award for fiction in the U.S. Prize: $15,000 for the winner; $5,000 for each finalist.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Pulitzer Prizes in Letters and Drama

Begun in 1917 and awarded by Columbia University, New York City, on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board for books published in the previous year. Five categories in Letters are honoured: Fiction, Biography, and General Non-Fiction (authors of works in these categories must be American citizens); History (the subject must be American history); and Poetry (for original verse by an American author). The Drama prize is for "a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life." Prize: $7,500 in each category.

Fiction Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Biography John Adams by David McCullough

Poetry Practical Gods by Carl Dennis

History The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America by Louis Menand

General Non-fiction Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama, the Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution by Diane McWhorter

Drama Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks

National Book Awards

Awarded since 1950 by the National Book Foundation, a consortium of American publishing groups. Categories have varied, beginning with 3--Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry--swelling to 22 awards in 1983, and returning to 4 (the initial 3 plus Young People's Literature) in 2001. Prize: $10,000 and a crystal sculpture for the winner; $1,000 for each finalist.

Fiction Three Junes by Julia Glass

Nonfiction Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro

Poetry In the Next Galaxy by Ruth Stone

Frost Medal

Awarded annually since 1930 by the Poetry Society of America for distinguished lifetime service to American poetry.

Galway Kinnell

Governor General's Literary Awards

Canada's premier literary awards. Prizes are given in 14 categories altogether: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Translation, Non-fiction, and Children's Literature (Text and Illustration), each in English and French. Established in 1937. Prize: Can$15,000 (about US$9,650).

Fiction (English) A Song for Nettie Johnson by Gloria Sawai

Fiction (French) La gloire de Cassiodore by Monique LaRue

Poetry (English) Surrender by Roy Miki

Poetry (French) Humains paysages en temps de paix relative by Robert Dickson

Griffin Poetry Prize

Established in 2001 and administered by the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, the award honours first-edition books of poetry published in the preceding year. Prize: Can$40,000 (about US$25,700) each for the two awards--one for a living Canadian poet and one for a living poet of any nationality.

Canadian Award Eunoia by Christian Bök

International Award Disobedience by Alice Notley (United States)

Büchner Prize

Georg-Büchner-Preis. Awarded for a body of literary work in the German language. First awarded in 1923; now administered by the German Academy for Language and Literature. Prize: €40,000 (about $40,000).

Wolfgang Hilbig (Germany)

Hooft Prize

P.C. Hooftprijs. The Dutch national prize for literature, established in 1947. Prize: €35,000 (about $35,000).

Sem Dresden, for his literary studies

Nordic Council Literary Prize

Established in 1961. Selections are made by a 10-member jury from among original works first published in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish during the previous two years or other Nordic languages (Finnish, Faroese, Sami, etc.) during the previous four years. Prize: DKr 350,000 (about $48,000)

Halvbroren by Lars Saabye Christensen (Norway)

Prix Goncourt

Prix de l'Académie Goncourt, first awarded in 1903 from the estate of the French literary figure Edmond Huot de Goncourt to memorialize him and his brother, Jules. Prize: €10 (about $10).

Les Ombres errantes by Pascal Quignard

Prix Femina

Established in 1904. The awards for works "of imagination" are announced by an all-woman jury in the categories of French fiction, fiction in translation, and nonfiction. Announced in October or November together with the Prix Médicis. The prize in 2001 was €782 (about $690).

French Fiction Les Adieux à la reine by Chantal Thomas

Cervantes Prize for Hispanic Literature

Premio Cervantes. Established in 1976 and awarded for a body of work in the Spanish language. Announced in December and awarded the following April. Prize: €90,000 (about $90,000).

José Jiménez Lozano (Spain)

Planeta Prize

Premio Planeta de Novela. Established in 1951 by the Planeta Publishing House for the best unpublished original novel in Spanish. Awarded in Barcelona in October. Prize: €600,000 (about $600,000) and publication by Planeta.

El huerto de mi amada by Alfredo Bryce Echenique (Peru)

Camões Prize

Premio Luis da Camões da Literatura. Established in 1988 by the governments of Portugal and Brazil to honour a "representatative" author writing in the Portuguese language. Prize $100,000.

Maria Velho de Costa (Portugal)

Russian Booker Prize

Awarded since 1992, the Russian Booker Prize has sometimes carried the names of various sponsors--e.g., Smirnoff in 1997-2001. In 2002 it was underwritten in part by the Yukos Oil Co. and called the Booker/Open Russia Literary Prize. Awards: $12,500 for the winner; $1,000 for each finalist.

Karagandinskiye devyatiny ("Karaganda Nines") by Oleg Pavlov

Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature

Established in 1996 and awarded for the best contemporary novel published in Arabic. The winning work is translated into English and published in Cairo, London, and New York. Prize: $1,000 and a silver medal.

Al-'Allamah (2001; "The Erudite") by Ben Salem Himmich

Jun'ichero Tanizaki Prize

Tanizaki Jun'ichero Sho. Established in 1965 to honour the memory of novelist Jun'ichiro Tanizaki. Awarded annually to a Japanese author for an exemplary literary work. Prize: ¥1,000,000 (about $8,000) and a trophy.

No prize awarded in 2002

Ryunosuke Akutagawa Prize

Akutagawa Ryunosuke Sho. Established in 1935 and now sponsored by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, the prize is awarded in January and June for the best serious work of fiction by a promising new Japanese writer published in a magazine or journal. Prize: ¥1,000,000 (about $8,000) and a commemorative gift.

"Mosupiido de haha wa" ("Mom, at Full Speed") by Yu Nagashima

"Paaku raifu" ("Park Life") by Shuichi Yoshida

Mao Dun Literary Award

Established in 1981 to honour contemporary Chinese novels and named after novelist Shen Yanbing (1896-1981), whose nom de plume was Mao Dun; awarded every four years. Latest awards were announced on Oct. 12, 2000 (the same day as the Nobel Prize for Literature):

Jueze ("Hard Choice") by Zhang Ping

Chang hen ge (2000; "Song of Everlasting Sorrow") by Wang Anyi

Chen'ai luo ding (1999; "When Dust Settles") by Ah Lai

Nanfang you jiamu ("Fine Tree Possessed in the Southland") and Buye zhi hou ("Delightful Marquis to Break Drowsiness"), from Charen sanbuqu ("Trilogy of Tea Men") by Wang Xufeng