At each year’s Lammys, the following special awards are given:
Trustee Award
Lambda Literary bestows its Trustee Award on individuals who have broken new ground in the field of LGBTQ literature, publishing, filmmaking, journalism, playwriting, etc.
Established in 2013, the Award honors those who, through their achievements and passionate commitment, have contributed to the LGBT literature and arts community in significant and tangible ways: through works of literature, film, and other media or by establishing publishing houses, publications, archives, bookstores, or further institutions.
Trustee Award recipients are determined by Lambda Literary’s Board of Trustees.
Recipients
- Jericho Brown (2020)
- Alexander Chee (2019)
- Roxane Gay (2018)
- Jeanette Winterson (2017)
- Hilton Als (2016)
- John Waters (2015)
- Alison Bechdel (2014)
- Augusten Burroughs (2013)
Visionary Award
Lambda Literary bestows its Visionary Award on individuals who have broken new ground in the field of LGBTQ literature and publishing. Established in 1995, the Award honors those who, through their achievements and passionate commitment, have contributed to the LGBTQ literary community in significant and tangible ways: through works of literature, or by establishing publishing houses, publications, archives, bookstores, or other institutions.
Visionary Award (previously the Pioneer Award) recipients are determined by Lambda Literary’s Board of Trustees.
Recipients
- Jane Wagner (2020)
- Masha Gessen (2019)
- Edmund White (2018)
- Jacqueline Woodson (2017)
- Eileen Myles (2016)
- Rita Mae Brown (2015)
- Kate Bornstein (2014)
- Malcolm Boyd, Lillian Faderman, Katherine V. Forrest, John Rechy, Patricia Nell Warren (2013)
- Cherrie Moraga (2013 – New York)
- Armistead Maupin (2012)
- Kate Millett (2012)
- Edward Albee (2011)
- Val McDermid (2011)
- Larry Kramer (2010)
- Kate Clinton (2010)
- Leslie Feinberg (2009)
- The Violet Quill, featuring Andrew Holleran, Felice Picano & Edmund White (2009)
- Ann Bannon (2008)
- Malcolm Boyd (2008)
- Mark Thompson (2008)
- Martin Duberman (2007)
- Marijane Meaker (2007)
- Samuel R. Delany (2004)
- Blanche Wiesen Cook (2004)
- Amazon Bookstore Cooperative (2003)
- Barbara Grier, Naiad Press (2003)
- Judy Shepard, The Mathew Shepard Foundation (2003)
- Astraea Foundation (2001)
- Katherine V. Forrest (1999)
- Ron Hanby, Bookazine (1998)
- Helaine Harris, Daedalus Books (1997)
- L. Page “Deacon” Maccubbin, Lambda Rising (1996)
Publishing Professional Award
The Lambda Literary Publishing Professional Award honors a distinguished individual in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community whose innovative work in the publishing industry promotes and promulgates LGBTQ literature.
Recipients
- Brian Lam (2020)
- Barbara Smith (2019)
- Bluestockings Bookstore, Feminist Bookstore Collective (2018)
- Michele Karlsberg, publicist and founder and editor of Amethyst Press (2017)
- Lisa C. Moore, founder and editor or RedBone Press (2016)
Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction
The Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction, in memory of the celebrated author Randall Kenan, honors Black LGBTQ writers of fiction. The award will go to a Black LGBTQ writer whose fiction explores themes of Black LGBTQ life, culture, and/or history. To be eligible, the winner of the prize must have published at least one book and show promise in continuing to produce groundbreaking work. The award includes a cash prize of $3,000.
This award is made possible by founding sponsor Cedric Brown, Darnell Moore, and Dr. L. Lamar Wilson.
Eligibility & Application Instructions
- Applications for the prize will be accepted until February 15, 2021. Apply here.
- The applicant must self-identify as LGBTQ and Black.
- The applicant must have written and published (self-published or traditionally published) at least one book of fiction that captures the depth and complexity of Black LGBTQ life, culture, and/or history.
- Applicants must submit a sample from an already published book of fiction of no more than 20 pages.
- All materials must be received by the deadline; incomplete applications will not be considered.
- If you have questions, email [email protected].
About Randall Kenan
Writer, teacher, and former Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ Voices faculty member Randall Kenan was the author of a novel, A Visitation of Spirits; two works of non-fiction, Walking on Water: Black American Lives at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century and The Fire This Time; and two collections of stories, Let the Dead Bury Their Dead and the recently released If I Had Two Wings. In his work, he explored how desire, community, and generational trauma can both uplift and warp the Black gay rural experience. He also edited and wrote the introduction for The Cross of Redemption: The Uncollected Writings of James Baldwin. Among his awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship, the North Carolina Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Rome Prize, and a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.
Jim Duggins, PhD Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize
Dedicated to the memory of author and journalist Jim Duggins, this prize honors LGBTQ-identified authors who have published multiple novels, built a strong reputation and following, and show promise to continue publishing high quality work for years to come.
This award is made possible by the James Duggins, PhD Fund for Outstanding Mid-Career LGBTQ Novelists, a fund of the Horizons Foundation, and includes a cash prize of $5,000.
This year’s winner is Larissa Lai.
Eligibility & Application Instructions
- Applications for the prize will be accepted until February 15, 2021. Apply here.
- Applicants must have published at least three novels, or two novels and a substantial additional literary work (including poems, short stories, and/or essays).
- Awards shall be made to authors of demonstrated ability and with promise for growth in their writing.
- Candidates’ contributions to the LGBT literary field beyond their writings and publications shall also be considered.
- Applicants must submit a sample from an already published book, no more than 20 pages, as well as a sample from (or outline of) ongoing work. (Maximum 10 pages.)
- All materials must be received by the deadline; incomplete applications will not be considered.
- If you have questions, email [email protected].
Recipients
- Larissa Lai (2020)
- James Earl Hardy, Shani Mootoo (2017)
- Michael Thomas Ford, Radclyffe (2014)
- Trebor Healey, Nicola Griffith (2013)
- Brian Leung, Stacey D’Erasmo (2012)
- Alex Sanchez, Susan Stinson (2011)
- Noel Alumit, Lee Lynch (2010)
- Michael Lowenthal, Elana Dykewomon (2009)
- Ronald L. Donaghe, Michelle Tea (2008)
- Jim Grimsley, Dorothy Allison (2007)
This prize was not awarded in 2015-2016 and 2018-2019.
About Jim Duggins, PhD
A U.S. Navy Journalist in the Pacific (Korean War), Jim studied with James Michener and Bill Lederer. He graduated from San Francisco State, and received his PhD from UC Berkeley. He taught English and Speech at high school and community college, and retired as a professor from San Francisco State. He co-authored Hooked on Books (Berkley Books), compiled Teaching Reading for Human Values (Charles Merrill), and wrote many articles for academic journals (The English Journal, The Journal of Reading, Wilson Library Journal). Jim’s memoir piece, “A Rock and a Hard Place,” appeared in Love, Castro Street: Reflections of San Francisco (Alyson Press, 2007). Jim Duggins was a member of the Original Palm Springs Writers Guild (Palm Springs, CA), The Authors Guild (New York) and the Historical Novel Society.
Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction
Lambda Literary’s Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction, in memory of the beloved activist and author, honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction authors. The award will go to a writer committed to nonfiction work that captures the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and/or history. The winner of the prize will have published at least one book and show promise in continuing to produce groundbreaking and challenging work. The award was introduced in 2018 and includes a cash prize of $2,500.
This year’s winner is Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.
Eligibility & Application Instructions
- Applications for the prize will be accepted until February 15, 2021. Apply here.
- The award is for a writer, not a book. The application must therefore focus on prior and ongoing writings, showing the author’s commitment to lesbian/queer nonfiction (including, but not limited to: memoir, biography, history, philosophy, and social justice genres and themes).
- Applicants must submit a sample from an already published book of no more than 20 pages, as well as a sample from (or outline of) ongoing work. (Maximum 10 pages.)
- All materials must be received by the deadline; incomplete applications will not be considered.
- If you have questions, email [email protected].
Recipients
- Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (2020)
- Karen Tongson (2019)
- Melissa Febos (2018)
About Jeanne Córdova
Jeanne Córdova, author, activist & publisher, was a pioneer of the West Coast LGBTQ Movement. Her writing and journalism included the Lammy award-winning memoir When We Were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love & Revolution. Her work also appeared in numerous award-winning anthologies including Persistent Desire: a Femme-Butch Reader and Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence. In addition, she was a columnist for many publications, among them the L.A. Free Press and The Advocate. Córdova also founded and published The Lesbian Tide, the national newsmagazine of the lesbian feminist 1970’s, and she created the Community Yellow Pages, the nation’s largest LGBTQ business directory. Her long life of activism included founding many key LGBTQ rights organizations including the LA Gay Press Association, and serving as President of Stonewall Democratic Club and as Media Director for the campaigns to defeat anti-LGBTQ Propositions 6 & 64 in California. Major conferences she organized ranged from the first National Lesbian Conference in 1973 to Butch Voices LA in 2010. More recently her band of guerilla activists-LEX (the Lesbian Exploratory)-created political, art and history events, including “GenderPlay in Lesbian Culture” and the Lesbian Legacy Wall at ONE Archives.
Judith A. Markowitz Award for Emerging LGBTQ Writers
Lambda Literary has played a pivotal role is nurturing the development of emerging LGBTQ writers through programs such as the Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices, internships and review writing opportunities at LambdaLiterary.org, and community building through readings, conferences and other events. Supporting emerging LGBTQ writers is central to our mission: they are the future of LGBTQ literature.
The Judith A. Markowitz Award for Emerging LGBTQ Writers (formerly the Dr. Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award) recognizes LGBTQ-identified writers whose work demonstrates their strong potential for promising careers. The award includes a cash prize of $1,000. Two Emerging LGBTQ Writer prizes are awarded annually.
This year’s winners are Xandria Phillips and Calvin Gimpelevich.
Eligibility & Application Instructions
- Applications for the prize will be accepted until February 15, 2021. Apply here.
- The applicant must self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.
- This award is for a writer, not a book. The application must therefore focus on the qualifications of the writer, not the qualities of a book.
- The applicant must have written and published at least one but no more than two books of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.
- The applicant must be of demonstrated ability and show promise for continued growth.
- The applicant must show meaningful engagement with LGBTQ literary communities.
- The applicant’s contributions to the LGBTQ literary field beyond their writings and publications will also be considered. For example, reviewing LGBTQ literature, conducting relevant research, participating in LGBTQ literary events, contributing to LGBTQ journals and reviews, membership in on-line LGBTQ literary forums, etc.
- Applicants must submit a Core Writing Sample, their strongest representative work. Maximum of 20 pages for Prose and 10 pages for Poetry. This can be an excerpt to a larger piece or a standalone work.
- Supplemental literary work such as short stories and essays, or editing LGBTQ-themed anthology collections will also be considered.
- All materials must be received by the deadline; incomplete applications will not be considered.
- If you have questions, email [email protected].
Recipients
- Xandria Phillips and Calvin Gimpelevich (2020)
- Robert Fieseler and Hannah Ensor (2019)
- Mecca Jamilah Sullivan and Jeanne Thornton (2018)
- H Melt and Victor Yates (2017)
- JP Howard and Bryan Borland (2016)
- Anne Balay and Daisy Hernandez (2015)
- Imogen Binnie & Charles Rice-Gonzalez (2014)
- Carter Sickels & Sassafras Lowrey (2013)
About Judith A. Markowitz
Judith A. Markowitz is committed to helping LGBT literature flourish. That is why she is funding the Emerging LGBTQ Writers award. This award acknowledges talented new writers; it shines a light on them, their writing, and the other ways in which they contribute to our literary community. They are our future. She believes they deserve recognition, support and encouragement.
Judith is an active donor to Lambda Literary, Lambda Legal, and other LGBT organizations. She was a member of the LL board for six years during which time she served as president, co-chair, and secretary. Prior to that she wrote reviews for the Lambda Book Report.
To date, Judith has published more than 150 articles; edited four anthologies; and written three books, including The Gay Detective Novel (2005, McFarland). She writes about gender and language, lesbian mysteries, speech technology (like SIRI), and robots. She is currently working on a book that explores ancestors of today’s robots that are found in myths (e.g., Jewish golem), fiction (e.g., Frankenstein), and reality (e.g., Japanese Karakuri). She is collecting stories and myths from other cultures that involve human-created humans and humanoids.
Judith is a native of Chicago where she lives with her wife, Susan Franz. In 2017, they celebrated thirty-seven years of love and companionship. Judith has a master’s degree in computer science/artificial intelligence from De Paul University, a doctoral degree in linguistics from Northwestern University, and has done post-doctoral work in women studies at Northwestern University.
