ShelfEvidentJoyce Carol Oates Prize
2025 Winner
2025 Shortlist & Longlist
Complete History
2020s
About the Joyce Carol Oates Prize
The Joyce Carol Oates Prize is an annual American literary award of $50,000 presented by New Literary Project (NewLit), an Oakland, California-based nonprofit dedicated to literature and literacy education. Established in 2016 and first awarded in 2017, the prize honors a mid-career author of fiction—defined as a writer who has emerged and is still emerging, with at least two notable published books—whose work demonstrates exceptional achievement and the promise of continued contribution to American literature.
Named for Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most prolific and celebrated American writers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, who serves as an honorary board member of New Literary Project, the award reflects NewLit's mission to connect distinguished writers with underserved communities through residencies, readings, and workshops. Recipients spend time at UC Berkeley and Saint Mary's College of California, teaching and speaking publicly as part of the award.
Past recipients include T. Geronimo Johnson (2017), Anthony Marra (2018), Laila Lalami (2019), Daniel Mason (2020), Danielle Evans (2021), Lauren Groff (2022), Manuel Muñoz (2023), Ben Fountain (2024), and Jennine Capó Crucet and Willy Vlautin (co-winners, 2025). The prize specifically targets mid-career writers who may be overlooked by debut-focused prizes or career-achievement awards, filling a distinctive niche in American literary recognition.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Mid-career fiction authors with at least two notable published books are eligible. The prize specifically targets writers who have established themselves but are still actively developing their careers—not debut authors, and not those being honored for lifetime achievement.
- The prize is $50,000. In 2025, the tenth anniversary year, two winners each received $50,000.
- Recipients take up a brief residence at UC Berkeley and Saint Mary's College of California in the Bay Area, participating in teaching, readings, and public speaking activities as part of the award.
- Yes. The prize is named in her honor, and she serves as an honorary board member of New Literary Project. Oates herself has previously served as NewLit's Writer-in-Residence.
- Applications are accepted annually in the fall. A distinguished jury considers a longlist assembled from applications and nominates finalists, who are then voted on by the NewLit Board of Directors.
- The prize was established in 2016 and first awarded in 2017 to T. Geronimo Johnson.
- Yes. Manuel Muñoz (2023) and Danielle Evans (2021) are primarily known for their short story collections, demonstrating that the prize is open to all forms of literary fiction, not just novels.