Aspen Words Literary Prize

The Aspen Words Literary Prize, established in 2018, is an annual literary award presented by Aspen Words, a literary center in Aspen, Colorado. The prize is presented to an author for "an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.” Winners receive a prize.

The award is open to authors of any nationality whose novels or short story collections are published by a U.S. trade publisher. The judging process specifically focuses on works that address vital social issues, such as violence, racial injustice, immigration, gender, and the environment. The prize money has consistently been US$35,000, making it one of the largest literary prizes in the United States focused exclusively on fiction with a social impact. Past winners include the inaugural recipient Mohsin Hamid (2018) for his novel Exit West, Tayari Jones (2019) for An American Marriage, and Tommy Orange (2025) for Wandering Stars.

Recipients +Aspen Words Literary Prize winners and finalistsYearAuthorTitleResult2018Exit WestWinnerWhat It Means When a Man Falls from the SkyShortlistWhat We Lose Mad CountrySing, Unburied, SingBlack MosesLonglistChemistryDifficult Women Harmless Like YouLucky BoyMusic of the GhostsSalt HousesBandi2019WinnerFriday Black ShortlistBrother Gun Love There There America Is Not the HeartLonglistBring Out the DogFreshwaterHeads of the Colored PeopleIf You See Me, Don't Say HiLucky ManSeveranceSmall CountryWhere the Dead Sit Talking2020WinnerPatsyShortlistOpioid, IndianaLost Children ArchiveLotYour House Will PayLonglistDominicanaSabrina & Corina We Cast a ShadowOn Earth We're Briefly GorgeousRed at the Bone2021WinnerAgainst the Loveless WorldShortlistLeave the World BehindIf I Had Two Wings: StoriesLonglistFiebre TropicalTranscendent KingdomBlack SundayReal LifeMemorial2022WinnerShortlistWhat Storm, What ThunderWhat Strange ParadiseRadiant FugitivesLonglistSwimming Back to Trout RiverLibertieAbundanceHell of a BookThings We Lost to the WaterBewildermentBewilderness2023WinnerHow Not to Drown in a Glass of WaterFinalistCalling for a Blanket DanceAll This Could Be DifferentWhen We Were SistersLonglistGloryIf I Survive YouWhat We Fed to the ManticoreHarry Sylvester BirdMemphis2024Enter GhostWinnerChain-Gang All-StarsFinalistTemple FolkWitnessLonglistWhat Happened to Ruthy RamirezYellowfaceI Have Some Questions for YouWhen Trying to Return Home: StoriesLet Us DescendLand of Milk and Honey2025 Wandering StarsWinner JamesFinalist Before the Mango Ripens There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven Madwoman Longlist Sky Full of Elephants Anita de Monte Laughs Last Kingdom of No Tomorrow Lilith Fire Exit Devil Is Fine 2026EndlingWinnerFinalistIntemperance Wild Dark ShoreSo Far Gone King of AshesLonglistCulpabilityRing: A Novel These Heathens: A Novel Happy Land This Here Is Love Behind the Waterline

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