FAQs

For complete information on how to submit a book, please check our Submission Guidelines.

Are the awards given at the ceremony?

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards are announced in the spring. The prizes are awarded at a ceremony in Cleveland in the fall.

How will I find out if I've won the award?

Winners are contacted by the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards before the public announcement is made on www.anisfield-wolf.org.

I've written a book. Does my publisher have to submit it for consideration or can I do it myself?

You may submit your own book for consideration. For complete information on how to submit a book, please check our Submission Guidelines.

My book is a self-published. Is it eligible for the award?

Self-published works (including works printed by vanity or subsidy presses) are not eligible for consideration.

My book is an e-book. Is it eligible for the award?

Electronic publications are not eligible for the award.

What genres of work are considered for the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award?

There are two awards, one for a work of fiction or poetry and one for a work of nonfiction, biography or scholarly research.

What are the eligibility requirements?

  • To be eligible, books must be written in English and published in the previous year (i.e. books published in 2010 are eligible for the 2011 prize).
  • Awards are given for both fiction and nonfiction.
  • Works of poetry are eligible for the fiction prize. 
  • All submitted materials become the property of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and will not be returned. 
  • The deadline for submission is December 31. Entries arriving after the deadline must be postmarked by December 31 to be eligible.
  • Submissions are accepted beginning September 1.
  • The following are NOT eligible for consideration:
    • Plays
    • Screenplays
    • Works in progress
    • Manuscripts
    • Print-on-demand
    • Electronically published or e-books
    • Self-published works