PEN Center USA’s Annual Literary Awards, established in 1982, are a unique, regional competition that recognizes literary excellence in ten categories: fiction, creative nonfiction, research nonfiction, poetry, children’s literature, translation, journalism, drama, teleplay, and screenplay. Past award winners include:

                Woody Allen
                Rudolfo Anaya   
                Paul Thomas Anderson
                Ray Bradbury
                T.C. Boyle
                Sandra Cisneros
                George Clooney
                Cameron Crowe
                Ariel & Will Durant
                Carrie Fisher
                Betty Friedan
                Matt Groening
                Vaclav Havel
                Charlie Kaufman
                Barbara Kingsolver
                Maxine Hong Kingston
                Ursula K. Le Guin
                Dan Savage
                Neil Simon
                Oliver Stone
                Michael Tolkin
                Gus Van Sant
                Gore Vidal
                Alice Walker
                Billy Wilder
                Steven Zaillian

PEN USA is accepting submissions of work produced or published in 2009 by writers living west of the Mississippi River. Entries in the ten categories are reviewed and judged by panels of distinguished writers, critics and editors. Winners are announced in late summer. Each receives a $1,000 cash prize, a year of PEN membership, and will be PEN’s guest at the Annual Literary Awards Festival in Los Angeles.

The Festival is held at the Beverly Hills Hotel and features a dinner, the awards ceremony, and a silent auction or raffle. This gala draws over 500 prominent writers, editors, publishers, actors, and directors.

Download the 2010 Lit Awards Book Submission Form here.