Faculty & Alumni Prizes & Awards

Latest Updates: 

Juan Felipe Herrera awarded 2024 MacArthur Genius Grant Ruthvika Rao shortlisted for the Center For Fiction First Novel Prize Elizabeth Willis and m.s. RedCherries longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award in Poetry Tony Tulathimutte longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award in Fiction V. V. Ganeshananthan wins the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Jayne Anne Phillips wins the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction Jorie Graham, Yiyun Li, and Robyn Schiff are finalists for the 2024 Pulitzer Prizes in Fiction and Poetry V. V. Ganeshananthan is shortlisted for the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction Jamel Brinkley, Justin Torres, and Robyn Schiff are named 2024 Guggenheim fellows Ada Zhang receives a 2024 Whiting Award Lan Samantha Chang receives 2024 Arts and Letters Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters

Sam Chang and President Wilson

Writers' Workshop faculty and alumni have received accolades for their work since the early years of the program, and they continue to appear among winners and finalists of many major literary prizes and awards today.

* denotes that year's winner | list does not account for repeat winners and finalists, of whom there have been several

Pulitzer Prize Winners and Finalists

Jayne Anne Philips* ⋄ Jorie Graham ⋄ Yiyun Li ⋄ Robyn Schiff ⋄ Carl Phillips* ⋄ Vauhini Vara ⋄ Mary Ruefle ⋄ Forrest Gander* ⋄ Andrew Sean Greer* ⋄ Adam Haslett ⋄ Elizabeth Willis ⋄ Denis Johnson ⋄ Paul Harding* ⋄ Robert Hass* ⋄ Philip Schultz* ⋄ Dean Young ⋄ William Matthews ⋄ Marilynne Robinson* ⋄ Heather McHugh ⋄ Charles Wright ⋄ Joy Williams ⋄ Michael Cunningham* ⋄ Alice Notley ⋄ Mark Strand* ⋄ Philip Roth* ⋄ Charles Wright* ⋄ Laurie Sheck ⋄ Jorie Graham* ⋄ Philip Levine* ⋄ Douglas Unger ⋄ Brenda Hillman ⋄ Louise Glück* ⋄ Jane Smiley* ⋄ James Tate* ⋄ Gerald Stern ⋄ Raymond Carver ⋄ Rita Dove* ⋄ Andrew Hudgins ⋄ Carolyn Kizer* ⋄ John Engels ⋄ Galway Kinnell* ⋄ Tracy Kidder* ⋄ Donald Justice* ⋄ John Cheever* ⋄ Robert Penn Warren* ⋄ James Alan McPherson* ⋄ Robert Lowell* ⋄ Wallace Stegner* ⋄ Anthony Hecht* ⋄ John Berryman* ⋄ W.D. Snodgrass* ⋄ Wallace Stevens*

National Book Award Winners and Finalists

Justin Torres* ⋄ Sarah Thankam Mathews ⋄ Paul Harding ⋄ Jerald Walker ⋄ Jamel Brinkley ⋄ Rebecca Makkai ⋄ Carmen Maria Machado ⋄ Layli Long Soldier ⋄ Shane Mccrae ⋄ Daniel Borzutzky* ⋄ Rita Dove ⋄ Jay Hopler ⋄ Peter Gizzi ⋄ Angela Flournoy ⋄ Louise Glück* ⋄ Marilynne Robinson ⋄ Claudia Rankine ⋄ Mary Szybist* ⋄ Susan Wheeler ⋄ Carl Phillips ⋄ Ann Lauterbach ⋄ Mark Doty* ⋄ Salvatore Scibona ⋄ Denis Johnson* ⋄ Robert Hass* ⋄ Jess Walter ⋄ Vern Rutsala ⋄ Kevin Boyle ⋄ Donald Justice ⋄ Cole Swensen ⋄ Scott Spencer ⋄ Mark Costello ⋄ Adam Haslett ⋄ Harryette Mullen ⋄ Charles Baxter ⋄ Francine Prose ⋄ Kent Haruf ⋄ Gerald Stern* ⋄ Elizabeth Mccracken ⋄ Ron Hansen ⋄ Philip Roth* ⋄ Dennis Covington ⋄ James Tate* ⋄ David St. John ⋄ Heather Mchugh ⋄ Thom Jones ⋄ Bob Shacochis ⋄ James Gleick ⋄ Philip Levine* ⋄ Andrew Hudgins ⋄ John Casey* ⋄ Peter Taylor ⋄ Elizabeth Benedict ⋄ Charles Wright* ⋄ Gail Godwin ⋄ Mark Helprin ⋄ Leonard Michaels ⋄ Edward Hoagland ⋄ John Cheever* ⋄ Tracy Kidder ⋄ Walter Sullivan ⋄ John Irving* ⋄ Marguerite Young ⋄ Wallace Stegner* ⋄ Raymond Carver ⋄ Robert Coover ⋄ Hortense Calisher ⋄ Joy Williams ⋄ Ellen Douglas ⋄ Thomas Rogers ⋄ Barry Hannah ⋄ Flannery O'Connor* ⋄ Kurt Vonnegut ⋄ Frank Conroy ⋄ Harvey Swados ⋄ William Stafford* ⋄ Richard Yates ⋄ George Starbuck ⋄ David Lavender ⋄ Nelson Algren*

National Book Critics Circle Award Winners and Finalists

Justin Torres ⋄ Robin Schiff ⋄ Romeo Oriogun ⋄ Dina Nayeri ⋄ Vauhini Vara ⋄ Devon Walker-Figueroa ⋄ Cathy Park Hong* ⋄ Brandon Taylor ⋄ Brandon Taylor ⋄ C. Pam Zhang ⋄ Chia-Chia Lin ⋄ Mary Ruefle ⋄ Anna Burns* ⋄ Denis Johnson ⋄ Layli Long Soldier* ⋄ Carmen Maria Machado* ⋄ Yaa Gyasi* ⋄ Adam Haslett ⋄ Ann Patchett ⋄ Claudia Rankine* ⋄ Marilynne Robinson* ⋄ Anthony Marra* ⋄ Kathryn Harrison ⋄ D.A. Powell* ⋄ Forrest Gander ⋄ Kathryn Harrison ⋄ Kathryn Harrison ⋄ C.D. Wright* ⋄ Louise Gluck ⋄ Michelle Huneven ⋄ Rachel Zucker ⋄ Kathryn Harrison ⋄ Juan Felipe Herrera* ⋄ Marilynne Robinson ⋄ Brenda Shaughnessy ⋄ Mary Jo Bang* ⋄ Matthea Harvey ⋄ William Logan* ⋄ Kevin Boyle ⋄ Marilynne Robinson* ⋄ Caroline Alexander ⋄ Ian McEwan* ⋄ Albert Goldbarth* ⋄ Fred Anderson ⋄ Patricia Hampl ⋄ Charles Wright* ⋄ Robert Hass* ⋄ Jane Smiley ⋄ Abraham Verghese ⋄ Mark Doty* ⋄ John Cheever ⋄ John Cheever ⋄ Albert Goldbarth* ⋄ Philip Roth* ⋄ Philip Roth* ⋄ Jane Smiley* ⋄ Wallace Stegner ⋄ John Casey ⋄ Tracy Kidder ⋄ Jane Smiley ⋄ Raymond Carver ⋄ Bharati Mukherjee* ⋄ Philip Roth* ⋄ Wallace Stegner ⋄ Peter Taylor ⋄ Louise Glück* ⋄ Tracy Kidder ⋄ Peter Taylor ⋄ Robert Hass* ⋄ Jayne Phillips ⋄ Raymond Carver ⋄ Joan Chase ⋄ Philip Roth ⋄ Leonard Michaels ⋄ Edward Hoagland ⋄ Philip Levine* ⋄ Philip Roth ⋄ John Cheever* ⋄ John Irving ⋄ Philip Roth ⋄ Richard Yates

Whiting Award Recipients

Anais Duplan* ⋄ Nana Nikweti* ⋄ Meritt Tierce* ⋄ Tony Tulathimutte* ⋄ Simone White* ⋄ Jennifer duBois* ⋄ Anhony Marra* ⋄ Daniel Orozco* ⋄ Eduardo Corral* ⋄ Shane McCrae* ⋄ Salvatore Scibona* ⋄ Vu Tran* ⋄ Jay Hopler* ⋄ Benjamin Percy* ⋄ Cate Marvin* ⋄ Charles D'Ambrosio* ⋄ Yiyun Lin* ⋄ Sarah Shun-lien Bynum* ⋄ Daniel Alarcón* ⋄ Kirsten Bakis* ⋄ Alexander Chee* ⋄ Lewis Robinson* ⋄ Justin Cronin* ⋄ Kim Edwards* ⋄ Michelle Huneven* ⋄ Robert Cohen* ⋄ Brighde Mullins* ⋄ Ehud Havazelet* ⋄ ZZ Packer* ⋄ Suketu Mehta* ⋄ Forrest Gander* ⋄ Chris Offutt* ⋄ Michael Cunningham* ⋄ Lucy Grealy* ⋄ Mary Ruefle* ⋄ Mary Swander* ⋄ Mark Doty* ⋄ Kathleen Peirce* ⋄ Mark Levine* ⋄ Jane Mead* ⋄ Stephen Wright* ⋄ C.D. Wright* ⋄ Geoffrey O'Brien* ⋄ Li-Young Lee* ⋄ Michael Burkard* ⋄ Deboarh Eisenberg* ⋄ Joan Chase* ⋄ Pam Durban* ⋄ Michael Ryan* ⋄ Denis Johnson* ⋄ Kent Haruf* ⋄ John Ash* ⋄ Stuart Dybek* ⋄ Jorie Graham* ⋄ Linda Gregg*

MacArthur Genius Grant Recipients

Juan Felipe Herrera* ⋄ Claudia Rankine* ⋄ Ellen Bryant Voigt* ⋄ Karen Russell* ⋄ Yiyun Li* ⋄ Deborah Eisenberg* ⋄ Heather McHugh* ⋄ Stuart Dybek* ⋄ C.D. Wright* ⋄ Naomi Wallace* ⋄ Sandra Cisneros* ⋄ Ann Lauterbach* ⋄ John Edgar Wideman* ⋄ Paule Marshall* ⋄ Jorie Graham* ⋄ Patricia Hampl* ⋄ Andre Dubus* ⋄ Mark Strand* ⋄ Bette Howland* ⋄ Robert Hass* ⋄ James Alan McPherson*

U.S. Poets Laureate

Joy Harjo* ⋄ Charles Wright* ⋄ Philip Levine* ⋄ Louise Gluck* ⋄ Robert Hass* ⋄ Rita Dove* ⋄ Mark Strand* ⋄ William Stafford*

Other Honors Our Faculty and Alumni Have Received Include

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS AWARD ⋄ ANISFIELD-WOLF BOOK AWARD ⋄ ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE ⋄ BOOKER PRIZE ⋄ CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE ⋄ DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE ⋄ FOLIO PRIZE ⋄ JOHN LEONARD PRIZEKINGSLEY TUFTS POETRY AWARD ⋄ LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS ⋄ LENORE MARSHALL POETRY PRIZE ⋄ LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE ⋄ PEN/JEAN STEIN BOOK AWARD ⋄ PEN/FAULKNER AWARD ⋄ PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD ⋄ PEN/MALAMUD AWARD ⋄ PEN/OPEN BOOK AWARD ⋄ PLIMPTON PRIZE ⋄ REPUBLIC OF CONSCIOUSNESS PRIZE⋄ RUTH LILLY POETRY PRIZE ⋄ STORY PRIZE ⋄ WALLACE STEVENS AWARD ⋄ THE WOMEN'S PRIZE