The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel is awarded annually to a full-length novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. The award is named after Ernest Hemingway and funded by the Hemingway family and the Ernest Hemingway Foundation/Society. It is administered by PEN America. Mary Welsh Hemingway, a member of PEN, founded the award in 1976 both to honor the memory of her husband and to recognize distinguished first books of fiction.
The winner is selected by a panel of three distinguished fiction writers and receives a cash prize of US$25,000. Along with the winner, two finalists and two runners-up receive a Ucross Residency Fellowship at the Ucross Foundation, a retreat for artists and writers on a 22,000 acre (89 km²) ranch on the high plains in Ucross, Wyoming. The award ceremony is held at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
The award presentation is sponsored in part by the JFK Presidential Library.
The award is one of many PEN awards sponsored by PEN International affiliates in over 145 PEN centres around the world.
Winners
20th-century +Award winners, 1976 to 1999YearAuthorTitle1976Parthian Shot1977Speedboat1978A Way of Life, Like Any Other1979Hasen1980Mom Kills Kids and Self1981Household Words1982Housekeeping1983Shiloh and Other Stories1984During the Reign of the Queen of Persia1985Dreams of Sleep1986Lady's Time1987Tongues of Flame1988Imagining Argentina1989The Book of Ruth1990The Ice at the Bottom of the World1991Maps to Anywhere1992Wartime Lies1993Lost in the City1994The Magic of Blood1995The Grass Dancer1996Native Speaker1997Ocean of Words1998A Private State1999Homestead
21st-century +Award winners, 2000 to presentYearAuthorTitleResult2000Interpreter of MaladiesWinner2001WinnerMoth SmokeFinalistScar Vegas and other StoriesFinalistBee SeasonRunner-UpUse MeRunner-Up2002Mary and O’NeilWinnerEsther StoriesFinalistFinalistRunner-UpThree Apples Fell From HeavenRunner-Up2003WinnerFinalistDear Mr. PresidentFinalistArafat’s ElephantRunner-UpRunner-Up2004Mrs. KimbleWinnerNight JourneyFinalistDrinking Coffee ElsewhereFinalistRunner-UpRunner-Up2005GraceLandWinnerMadras on Rainy DaysFinalistAnything You Say Can and Will be Used Against YouFinalistRunner-UpAnimal CrackersRunner-Up2006WinnerWar by CandlelightFinalistFinalistWaterlooRunner-UpRunner-Up2007Brief Encounters With Che GuevaraWinnerUnconfessedFinalistIcebergsFinalistRunner-UpRunner-Up2008Then We Came to the EndWinnerTwenty GrandFinalistLike Trees WalkingFinalistMigration PatternsRunner-UpRunner-Up2009WinnerOne More YearFinalistPersonal DaysFinalistAlive in NecropolisRunner-UpRunner-Up2010WinnerAll the LivingFinalistCutting for StoneFinalistRunner-UpReasons for and Advantages of BreathingRunner-Up2011WinnerVidaFinalistDeath Is Not An OptionFinalistBefore You Suffocate Your Own Fool SelfHonorable mentionMajor Pettigrew’s Last StandHonorable mention2012Open CityWinnerFinalistWe Are Taking Only What We NeedFinalistHonorable mentionAccidental Birds of the CarolinasHonorable mention2013WinnerFinalistIn the Shadow of the Banyan TreeFinalistForgotten CountryHonorable mentionAs It Is On EarthHonorable mention2014We Need New NamesWinnerFinalistFinalistDamn LoveHonorable mentionHonorable mentionHonorable mention2015Elegy on KinderklavierWinnerFor Today I Am a BoyFinalistPreparation for the Next LifeFinalistMarine ParkHonorable mentionMan V. NatureHonorable mention2016EileenWinnerBlack RiverFinalistPeople Like YouFinalistLifted by the Great NothingHonorable mentionHonorable mention2017HomegoingWinnerDodgersFinalistWhen WatchedFinalistDog Run MoonHonorable mentionDog YearsHonorable mention2018ChemistryWinnerFinalistIndelibleFinalistLive from CairoHonorable mentionHonorable mention2019There ThereWinnerFreshwaterFinalistSeveranceFinalistHonorable mentionCherryHonorable mention2020WinnerStay and FightRunner-UpRunner-Up2021Sharks in the Time of SaviorsWinnerThese Ghosts Are FamilyFinalistLusterFinalistShuggie BainFinalistHow Much of These Hills Is GoldFinalist2022Detransition, BabyWinnerBurnt SugarFinalistDear Miss MetropolitanFinalistFinalistFinalist2023Calling for a Blanket DanceWinnerActivities of Daily LivingFinalistShutterFinalistLittle RabbitFinalistWhich Side Are You OnFinalist2024Countries of OriginWinnerFluxFinalistAmerican GospelFinalist2025Michael DeaglerEarly SobrietiesWinnerVenita BlackburnDead in Long Beach, CaliforniaFinalistKarol LagodzkiControlled ConversationsFinalistSamuel Kọ́láwọ́léThe Road to the Salt SeaFinalist2026WinnerAwake in the Floating City FinalistBlob: A Love StoryFinalist
References
External links Hemingway Foundation: PEN/Hemingway Award homepage PEN America: PEN/Hemingway Award homepage