Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: NYPL's Young Lions Fiction Award Edition

This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.  

The New York Public Library recently announced their finalists for the You Lions Fiction Award. From the About page:

Established in 2001, The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award is a $10,000 prize awarded each spring to a writer age 35 or younger for a novel or a collection of short stories. Each year, five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a reading committee of Young Lions members, writers, editors, and librarians. A panel of judges selects the winner.

Founded by Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Rick Moody, and Hannah McFarland—and made possible by an endowment created with generous gifts from Russell Abrams, Nina Collins, Hannah and Gavin McFarland, Ethan Hawke, Stephan Loewentheil, Rick Moody, Andrea Olshan and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh—this annual award recognizes the work of young authors and celebrates their accomplishments publicly, making a difference in their lives as they continue to build their careers. ​

This prize is part of the Library's Young Lions program, a membership group for people in their 20s and 30s who are committed to supporting the organization and to celebrating young writers and artists who are making an impact on this city's cultural life.

The Young Lions Fiction Award is given each spring during a special ceremony at The New York Public Library.  

Before we get to the 5 finalists this year, I want to talk about how important the finalists list is for libraries. This is a LIBRARY making sure the world knows about young voices that are worth their time. We should be collecting the books called out by this award every single year. They also link to their catalog so you can borrow each book. Love it!

Speaking of every single year, because this award is from a library, at the very top of the main page for the Young Lions Fiction Award you have access to the link to see all past winners and finalists and judges. 

Speaking of judges, I love that every year, the winner gets to be one of the judges for the next year. Too often when authors are asked to be a part of literary prizes, they are not asked until they are far into their careers. Who better than to judge the best book by an author 35 or under, than the last person to win it?

Back to the award's backlist though, the authors and titles are names you know. This is an award of sure bet books for the literary fiction audience, which is very popular with library patrons.

Also, let's talk money. $10,000 is enough money for some of these young writers to keep going; the difference between having to cut back on writing because the day job needs attention to cutting back on those day job hours because you have a cushion. 

Now, I know that there is no other library in America that can offer this kind of money to an emerging writing who lives in their city (well maybe LA), but I think this is an example everyone should consider. Find ways to locate the writers in your  community and raise them up. Maybe it's by having a local writers festival, maybe it is to give them a "writer in residence" tag for a year. You can buy all their books, put them on display, and have them host a few programs throughout the year. An honorarium of any size along with buying their books would be a great boost to them AND part of your mission to promote reading and life long learning. You don't need a $10,000 prize to uplift the authors in your community.

Below are this year's finalists. I know you have a few of these, but probably not all. Go back and check the last 10 years as well. Many of these titles you own and the authors have broken out. Why not make a display of authors who have been singled out as finalists over the years. People will flock to it, especially when they see a back list title or author they never got to but remember wanting to read. You look brilliant and super helpful when you remind them of good reads they would not have found on their own.

Here is the link to the landing page for the award with the finalist announcement for this year below:

The New York Public Library is excited to announce the finalists for the 24th annual Young Lions Fiction Award. The finalists are: 

• Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah for Chain-Gang All-Stars
• Monica Brashears for House of Cotton
• Eskor David Johnson for Pay As You Go
• E. J. Koh for The Liberators
• C Pam Zhang for Land of Milk and Honey

Judges: A. M. Homes, Caoilinn Hughes, Zain Khalid (last year's winner)