Want to read the books everyone is talking about?  What do those awards celebrate?  Here are the major literary prize winners for the last five years and a  brief description of what they have won.  Enjoy!

The Booker Prize was established in 1969 by Booker McConnell, a multinational company.  It is awarded annually for the best full length novel in the British Commonwealth of Nations. In 2002 the Man Group became sponsor of the Booker Prize Foundation. The prize is now named the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was established in 1917 by Joseph Pulitzer through an endowment to Columbia University. It is given annually for the best fiction by an American author and dealing preferably with American life.

The National Book Award for Fiction was established in 1951 by the National Book Foundation and is awarded annually for the best fiction in the United States.

The Pen/Faulkner Award was created in 1980 by writers to honor their peers and is now the largest juried award for fiction in the U.S. It is named in honor of William Faulkner, who used his Nobel Prize funds to create an award for young writers.