PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Grant

PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: PEN America
Amount: US $10,000
Last Updated: July 19, 2025

Summary

The PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction, offered by PEN America, recognizes a distinguished book of nonfiction published annually. This prestigious award, which includes a $10,000 prize, honors works that exhibit notable literary merit and critical perspectives on contemporary issues. Eligible authors, regardless of citizenship, must have published their book in the previous calendar year. This award highlights the importance of intellectual rigor and stylistic elegance, echoing the legacy of economist John Kenneth Galbraith.

Overview

PEN America Founded in 1922, PEN America is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others. Our strength is our Membership—a nationwide community of more than 4,500 novelists, journalists, nonfiction writers, editors, poets, essayists, playwrights, publishers, translators, agents, and other writing professionals, as well as devoted readers and supporters who join with them to carry out PEN America’s mission. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. PEN America Literary Awards Founded in 1963, the PEN America Literary Awards honor the most outstanding voices in literature across diverse genres, including fiction, poetry, science writing, essays, sports writing, biography, children’s literature, and drama. With the help of our partners, PEN America confers over 20 distinct awards, fellowships, and grants each year, awarding over $370,000 to writers and translators annually. The PEN America Literary Awards program celebrates literary excellence, encourages global discourse, champions important voices, and brings new books to life through our publication awards. From exciting new voices to underrecognized masters of their craft, PEN America honors challenging, thought-provoking, genre-defying writers. PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction This annual prize of $10,000, previously offered biennially, is awarded each year to the author of a distinguished book of nonfiction possessing notable literary merit and critical perspective that illuminates important contemporary issues. The book should possess the qualities of intellectual rigor and importance, perspicuity of expression, and stylistic elegance conspicuous in the writings of author and economist John Kenneth Galbraith, whose four dozen books and countless other publications continue to provide an important and incisive commentary on the American social, intellectual, and political scene. Eligible books will have been published in the last calendar year. The author need not be a U.S. citizen or resident to be eligible. All winners, finalists, and longlisters for this award are eligible to receive PEN America’s official emblems.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. A candidate’s work must have been published in the United States by a trade publisher between January 1 and December 31 of the applicable calendar year. Eligible books must be written by a single, living author. Candidates need not be U.S. citizens or residents. Memoir is eligible, so long as it possesses qualities of intellectual rigor and importance and a critical perspective that illuminates important contemporary issues. If you submit a book for this award, you may not submit it for any additional PEN America Literary Award, with the exception of the PEN Open Book Award. Please note that the PEN/Faulkner Award is not considered a PEN America Literary Award.

Ineligibility

Biographies are not accepted.Self-published books are ineligible.Books with more than one original author are ineligible for the PEN America Literary Awards. Authors may not submit their own books.Writers who are also current PEN America staff or interns, trustees, or chairs of Member committees are not eligible for any of the Awards and/or Grants offered by the Literary Awards Program. Additionally, all current members of the Literary Awards Committee are ineligible.