The winners of the Windham-Campbell Prizes have been revealed, with eight writers chosen for the awards given annually “to call attention to literary achievement and provide writers with the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns.”
Winning the fiction prizes were Gwendoline Riley, whose books include Tuesday Nights and Wednesday Mornings and The Palm House, and Adam Ehrlich Sachs, author of The Organs of Sense and Gretel and the Great War.
The nonfiction winners were Lucy Sante, whose I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition made waves upon publication in 2024, and Kei Miller, author of books including Things I Have Withheld.
The two winning poets were Joyelle McSweeney (Flet, Death Styles) and Karen Solie (The Caiplie Caves, The Road in Is Not the Same Road Out), and the drama prizes went to Christina Anderson (Inked Baby) and S. Shakthidharan (The Wrong Gods).
Michael Kelleher, director of the prizes, said in a statement, “The Windham-Campbell Prizes champion literary achievement across writing disciplines; the financial security that comes in the form of the $175,000 grant gifts recipients with the time, space and creative freedom to think, write, and nurture their talent. The arts are facing more challenges now than ever before. It is an honor, therefore, to celebrate this year’s recipients and ensure that the world will continue to enjoy their works for many years to come.”
The Windham-Campbell Prizes were first awarded in 2013. Previous winners include James Salter, Tessa Hadley, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Ling Ma.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
