North Carolina Book AwardsFiction

Descriptions

The North Carolina Book Awards are a collective name for several awards celebrating literary works by or about the people of North Carolina. They include:

• Nonfiction: the Ragan Old North State Award for Nonfiction (since 2003)
• Youth Literature: AAUW NC Young People's Literature Award (since 1953)
• Poetry: Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry (since 1953)
• Fiction: the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction (since 1952)
  
• Mayflower Cup: Active 1931-2002, this award primarily was granted to nonfiction titles, but began as a multidisciplinary award. Because of this, it's left as its own category.
• Patterson Cup: This award was active 1902-1922.

See other descriptions on this award page for more details about each award, and links to further reading.

PLEASE NOTE: This award listing combines several awards that were previously listed individually. These awards are collectively referred to as the North Carolina Book Awards in the annual press releases announcing the award, and this term will help users find award winners. Awards are administered primarily by one organization in partnership with various other entities, and they are announced together each year. While each award is distinct and has its own history, trying to maintain individual award pages for each one resulted in a lot of unnecessary duplication and makes it more difficult for users to find related awards.

Ragan Old North State Award for Nonfiction: Given for achievement in non-fiction, this award honors Sam Ragan, poet, critic, publisher, and the first secretary of the present North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. It was Established in 2003 as the successor to the Mayflower Cup, which in turn was successor to the Patterson Cup.

Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction: Awarded in recognition of the most significant work of original fiction writing published over the course of the last year by a North Carolina author.

AAUW NC Young People's Literature Award: Since 1953, AAUW of North Carolina has partnered with the NC Literary and Historical Association to present an award in recognition of the most significant work of original juvenile literature published over the course of the last year by a North Carolina author. The judges include a representative from Lit & Hist, one from AAUW NC, and a librarian familiar with young people’s literature. The deadline for the award nominations is July 15 of each year, with the award presented at the fall meeting of the Literary and Historical Association.

Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry: Awarded in recognition of the most significant work of original poetry published over the course of the last year by a North Carolina poet.

The AAUW NC Young People's Literature Award was not given in either 1981 or 1972.

For a detailed history of how these awards are intertwined, see the 2016 article "Mayflower Cup, R.I.P." which covers the history of the Patterson Cup, the Mayflower Cup, its gradual evolution to focus on nonfiction, and the shift to the Ragan Old North State Award.

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