Prix Renaudot · 2024 · Winner
Prix Renaudot
2024 Winner
Complete History
About the Prix Renaudot
The Prix Renaudot is one of France's most prestigious literary prizes, awarded annually since 1926 on the same day and at the same location as the Prix Goncourt. Founded by journalists as a deliberate counterpoint to the Académie Goncourt's selections, it has historically championed bold, unconventional works and authors passed over by the Goncourt jury. The prize carries no monetary value beyond a nominal sum, but bestows enormous prestige and commercial momentum. Its jury is composed of journalists and critics who meet at the Drouant restaurant in Paris.
Frequently Asked Questions
- The Prix Renaudot is announced on the same day as the Prix Goncourt — the first Tuesday of November — at the Drouant restaurant in Paris.
- The prize was founded in 1926 by a group of journalists and critics as a deliberate riposte to the Académie Goncourt, named after Théophraste Renaudot, the 17th-century founder of the French press.
- Like the Prix Goncourt, the monetary value is nominal. The real prize is the prestige and the commercial boost to the winning book.
- No. By convention, the same book cannot win both prizes, as the juries coordinate to avoid duplication.
- Novels, short story collections, and essays written in French are eligible, making the Renaudot slightly broader in scope than the Goncourt.
- The jury is made up of approximately ten journalists and literary critics. Unlike the Académie Goncourt, the Renaudot jury membership changes over time.
- The Renaudot has a reputation for championing adventurous, genre-blending, and politically engaged works, often selecting titles that were runner-ups or overlooked by the Goncourt.
- No. The Renaudot is entirely independent and was founded specifically as an alternative to the Académie Goncourt.
- Yes. The prize is open to any work written in French, regardless of the author's nationality.