Louisiana Writer Award Recipients
2009      Tim Gautreaux, Novelist
2008      William Joyce, Children's Author and Illustrator
2007      Yusef Komunyakaa, Poet
2006      Elmore Leonard, Novelist
2005      Lewis P. Simpson, Scholar
2004      Shirley Ann Grau, Novelist
2003      Carl A. Brasseaux, Historian 
2002      James Lee Burke, Novelist
2001      William Jay Smith, Poet
2000      Ernest Gaines, Novelist

About the Louisiana Writer Award

The Louisiana Writer Award was created in 2000 by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana.

The award is given annually to honor a contemporary Louisiana writer whose published body of work represents a distinguished and enduring contribution to the literary and intellectual heritage of Louisiana.

The award is presented during a formal ceremony at the Louisiana Book Festival. The tribute includes a commemorative award and a $1,000 honorarium.

Eligibility

Only contemporary Louisiana writers are eligible for the award. Writers of juvenile and adult fiction, nonfiction, plays and poetry are eligible.

A Louisiana writer is defined as one who is a native of Louisiana or a current or past resident of the state.

A published body of work is defined as any combination of work included in books, anthologies, journals, magazines and other publication of literary merit.

An author whose writing is subordinate to visual expression is not eligible for the award.

Award Process

The Louisiana Center for the Book, through its own research and with advice from members of the literary, educational, and publishing communities in Louisiana, shall identify individuals with expertise and specific knowledge of the discipline of writing being considered for the current Louisiana Writer Award. 

The advisory group members shall be invited to exercise their independent judgment to nominate candidates to the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana.

They shall be advised that their advice and nominations are strictly for the information and use of the Louisiana Center for the Book.

The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana shall determine the recipient either by selecting from among those nominated or, in extraordinary circumstances, by determining the Louisiana Writer Award recipient independently.

Selection Criteria

The Louisiana Writer Award is intended to honor writers first and foremost for publishing accomplishment as evidenced by books, anthologies and journals. In ranking the importance of such publications, standard length books are the most important.

Due regard is given to national and international awards extolling the quality of the author's writings.

Critical works about the writer are germane when evaluating the significance of the writer's work.

Teaching and/or advocacy by the writer are subordinate to the above criteria and are considered only when additional factors are required to distinguish between candidates.