The William Dean Howells Medal is awarded by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Established in 1925 and named for William Dean Howells, it is given once every five years, generally in recognition of the most distinguished American novel published during that period, although some awards have been made to novelists for their general body of work. The recipient of the award is chosen, by a committee drawn from the membership of the Academy, from among those candidates nominated by a member of the Academy.
Past winners Year Author Book 1925 Mary E. Wilkins Freeman 1930 Willa Cather Death Comes for the Archbishop 1935 Pearl S. Buck The Good Earth 1940 Ellen Glasgow 1945 Booth Tarkington 1950 William Faulkner 1955 Eudora WeltyThe Ponder Heart 1960 James Gould Cozzens By Love Possessed 1965 John Cheever The Wapshot Scandal 1970 William Styron The Confessions of Nat Turner 1975 Thomas Pynchon (declined) Gravity's Rainbow 1980 William Maxwell So Long, See You Tomorrow 1985 No award 1990 E. L. Doctorow Billy Bathgate 1995 John Updike Rabbit at Rest 2000 Don DeLillo Underworld 2005 Shirley Hazzard The Great Fire 2010 Peter Matthiessen Shadow Country 2015 William H. Gass Middle C 2020 Richard Powers The Overstory 2025 Louise Erdrich The Night Watchman
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