View source for Lambda Literary Awards

{{short description|Award for published works that celebrate or explore LGBT themes}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox award
| name        = Lambda Literary Award
| subheader   = 
| image       = Lambda-literary-award.png
| caption     = Lambda Literary Award Seal
| awarded_for = 
| presenter   = [[Lambda Literary Foundation]]
| location    = [[New York City]], United States
| year        = {{start date and age|1989}}
| website     = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''Lambda Literary Awards''', also known as the "'''Lammys'''", are awarded yearly by [[Lambda Literary Foundation|Lambda Literary]] to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literature. The awards were instituted in 1989.

The program has grown from 14 awards in early years to 24 awards today. Early categories such as [[HIV/AIDS]] literature were dropped as the prominence of the AIDS crisis within the gay community waned,<ref name=windycity /> and categories for [[bisexual]] and [[transgender]] literature were added as the community became more inclusive.<ref name=windycity>{{cite web |url=http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Lambda-Literary-Foundation-marks-25-years-of-LGBT-writers/42961.html |title=Lambda Literary Foundation marks 25 years of LGBT writers |work=[[Windy City Times]] |first=Charlsie |last=Dewey |date=May 28, 2013 |access-date=February 6, 2015}}</ref>

In addition to the primary literary awards, Lambda Literary also presents a number of special awards.

==Award categories==

===Current===
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|*[[J. Michael Samuel Prize]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Anthology|Anthology]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature|Bisexual Literature]] ''or'' Bisexual Fiction, Bisexual Non-Fiction, Bisexual Poetry<sup>1</sup>
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature|Children's or Young Adult]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Drama|Drama]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction|Gay Fiction]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir or Biography|Gay Memoir or Biography]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry|Gay Poetry]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Romance|Gay Romance]]
*[[Jeanne Córdova Prize]]
*[[Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize]]
*[[Judith A. Markowitz Award]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir or Biography|Lesbian Memoir or Biography]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry|Lesbian Poetry]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Romance|Lesbian Romance]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Comics|LGBTQ+ Comics]] 
*[[Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Romance & Erotica|LGBTQ+ Romance & Erotica]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Studies|LGBTQ+ Studies]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Nonfiction|Nonfiction]]
*[[Publishing Professional Award]]
*[[Randall Kenan Prize]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror|Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Literature|Transgender Literature]] ''or'' Transgender Fiction, Transgender Non-Fiction, Transgender Poetry<sup>1</sup>
*[[Trustee Award]]
*[[Visionary Award]]}}

====Notes====
<sup>1</sup> In both the bisexual and transgender categories, presentation may vary according to the number of eligible titles submitted in any given year. If the number of titles warrants, then separate awards are presented in either two (Fiction and Nonfiction, with the Fiction category inclusive of poetry titles) or three (Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry) categories, while if a smaller number of titles is deemed eligible, then a merged Literature shortlist is put forward. However, even when the category shortlists have been merged, judges still retain the right to identify a single winner in the unlisted category; for example, at the [[25th Lambda Literary Awards]] in 2013 the judges named both fiction and non-fiction winners in the Bisexual Literature category, and at the [[29th Lambda Literary Awards]] in 2017 the judges picked a title from the Bisexual Fiction shortlist as the winner in Bisexual Poetry despite the lack of an advance poetry shortlist.

====Tallies====
[[Ellen Hart]] has won five awards in the Lesbian Mystery category, the most by any single author, and is one of only three writers to have won the award more than once (with three-time winners [[Katherine V. Forrest]] and [[Jean M. Redmann|J. M. Redmann]]). Similarly, [[Michael Nava]] has won five awards in the Gay Mystery category, the most by any single author, and is one of only four writers to have won the award more than once (with three-time winner [[John Morgan Wilson]], two-time winner [[Robert D. Zimmerman|R. D. Zimmerman]], and two-time winner [[Marshall Thornton]]). Marshall Thornton is the only author in the gay mystery category to have won twice for two different series.

[[Alison Bechdel]] has won four awards in the Humor category, the most by any single author, and is one of five writers to have won the award more than once (with [[Joe Keenan (writer)|Joe Keenan]], [[Michael Thomas Ford]], [[David Sedaris]], and [[David Rakoff]]). The Humor category has been discontinued.

[[Nicola Griffith]] and [[Melissa Scott]] have each won four awards in the [[List of Lambda Literary Awards winners and nominees for science fiction, fantasy and horror|Scifi/Fantasy/Horror]] category, and are two of six writers to have won the SFFH award more than once (with Stephen Pagel, [[Jim Grimsley]], and [[Lee Thomas (horror writer)|Lee Thomas]]).

[[Sarah Waters]] has won three awards in the [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] category, for ''[[Tipping the Velvet]]'' ([[12th Lambda Literary Awards|2000]]), ''[[Fingersmith (novel)|Fingersmith]]'' ([[15th Lambda Literary Awards|2002]]), and ''The Night Watch'' in ([[19th Lambda Literary Awards|2007]]), and is one of only three writers to have won the Lesbian Fiction award more than once (with two-time winners [[Dorothy Allison]] and [[Achy Obejas]]).

[[Mark Doty]] and [[Adrienne Rich]] have each won three awards in the Poetry category, and are two of seven poets to have won the award more than once (with two-time winners [[Joan Larkin]], Michael Klein, [[Marilyn Hacker]], [[Audre Lorde]], and [[J. D. McClatchy]])

[[Richard Labonté]], [[Radclyffe]], and [[Tristan Taormino]] have each won two awards in the Erotica category, each winning once before the category was split into Gay and Lesbian subdivisions, and each winning their second after the category was split.

[[Karin Kallmaker]] and [[Michael Thomas Ford]] have each won two awards in the Romance category, each winning one before the category was split into Gay and Lesbian subdivisions – Kallmaker with ''Maybe Next Time'' and Ford with ''Last Summer'', but in [[16th Lambda Literary Awards|2004]] – and each winning their second after the category was split – Ford with ''Changing Tides'' in [[20th Lambda Literary Awards|2008]] and Kallmaer with ''The Kiss That Counted'' in [[21st Lambda Literary Awards|2009]].

[[Colm Tóibín]] is the only writer to have won two awards in the [[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction|Gay Fiction]] category for ''[[The Master (novel)|The Master]]'' in [[17th Lambda Literary Awards|2004]] and for ''[[The Empty Family]]'' in [[24th Lambda Literary Awards|2011]].

[[Paul Monette]] is the only writer to have won two awards in the Gay Non-Fiction category, for ''Borrowed Time'' in [[1st Lambda Literary Awards|1989]] and for ''Becoming a Man'' in [[5th Lambda Literary Awards|1993]].

[[Lillian Faderman]] is the only writer to have won awards in seven different categories, having received:
* The Editor's Choice Award for ''[[Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers]]'' in [[4th Lambda Literary Awards|1992]]
* The Fiction Anthology Award for ''Chloe Plus Olivia'' in [[7th Lambda Literary Awards|1995]]
* The Lesbian Studies Award for ''To Believe in Women'' in [[12th Lambda Literary Awards|2000]]
* The Autobiography/Memoir Award for ''Naked in the Promised Land'' in [[16th Lambda Literary Awards|2004]]
* The LGBT Arts & Culture award for ''Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics and Lipstick Lesbians'' in [[19th Lambda Literary Awards|2007]]
* The LGBT Non-Fiction award for ''Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics and Lipstick Lesbians'' in [[19th Lambda Literary Awards|2007]]
* The Pioneer Award in [[25th Lambda Literary Awards|2013]].

Several writers have won awards in more than one category in the same year for the same work (note that according to current guidelines a book may only be entered in one category):
* [[Paul Monette]] received both Gay Non-Fiction and AIDS Literature awards for ''Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir'' in [[1st Lambda Literary Awards|1989]].
* [[Michael Nava]] received both [[List of Lambda Literary Awards winners and nominees for science fiction, fantasy and horror|Gay Mystery/Science Fiction]] and Gay Small Press awards for ''Golden Boy'' in 1989.
* [[Dorothy Allison]] received both Lesbian Small Press and [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] awards for ''[[Trash: Short Stories]]'' in 1989.
* [[Martin B. Duberman]] received both Gay Anthology and Lesbian Anthology awards for ''Hidden from History'' in [[2nd Lambda Literary Awards|1990]].
* [[Jewelle Gomez]] received both [[List of Lambda Literary Awards winners and nominees for science fiction, fantasy and horror|Lesbian Scifi/Fantasy/Horror]] and [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] awards for ''The Gilda Stories'' in [[4th Lambda Literary Awards|1992]].
* [[Loren Cameron]] received both Small Press and Transgender awards for ''[[Body Alchemy|Body Alchemy: Transsexual Portraits]]'' in [[9th Lambda Literary Awards|1997]].
* [[Lisa C. Moore]] received both Small Press and Lesbian Studies awards for ''Does Your Mama Know?'' in [[10th Lambda Literary Awards|1998]].
* James Saslow received both Gay Studies and Visual Arts awards for ''Pictures and Passions'' in [[12 Lambda Literary Awards|2000]].
* [[Noelle Howey]] and Ellen Samuels received both Anthologies/Non-Fiction and Children's/Young Adult awards for ''Out of the Ordinary'' in [[13th Lambda Literary Awards|2001]].
* [[Lillian Faderman]] and Stuart Timmons received both LGBT Arts & Culture and LGBT Non-Fiction awards for ''Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics and Lipstick Lesbians'' in [[19th Lambda Literary Awards|2007]].
* [[Robert Westfield]] received both Gay Debut Fiction and [[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction|Gay Fiction]] awards for ''Suspension'' in [[19th Lambda Literary Awards|2007]].

Several writers have won awards in more than one category in the same year for different works:
* [[Jacqueline Woodson]] received the awards for Children/Young Adult (with ''From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun'') and [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] (with ''Autobiography of a Family Photo'') in [[8th Lambda Literary Awards|1996]].
* [[Radclyffe]] received the awards for Erotica (with ''Stolen Moments'') and Romance (with ''Distant Shores, Silent Thunder'') in [[18th Lambda Literary Awards|2006]].
* [[Nicola Griffith]] received the awards for Lesbian Mystery (with ''The Blue Place'') and [[List of Lambda Literary Awards winners and nominees for science fiction, fantasy and horror|Scifi/Fantasy/Horror]] (with ''[[Bending the Landscape#Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction|Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction]]'') in [[11th Lambda Literary Awards|1999]].
* [[Karin Kallmaker]] received the awards for Erotica (with ''In Deep Water 2: Cruising the Strip'', which she co-authored with Radclyffe) and Lesbian Romance (with ''The Kiss That Counted'') in [[21st Lambda Literary Awards|2009]].
* [[Benjamin Alire Sáenz]] received the awards for [[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction|Gay Fiction]] (with ''[[Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club]]'') and LGBT Children's/Young Adult (with ''[[Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe]]'') in [[25th Lambda Literary Awards|2013]].

Several other writers have won awards in more than one category in different years and for different works:
* [[Alison Bechdel]] won the Lesbian Biography/Autobiography award for ''The Indelible Alison Bechdel'' in [[11th Lambda Literary Awards|1999]], the Lesbian Memoir/Biography award for ''[[Fun Home|Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic]]'' in [[19th Lambda Literary Awards|2007]], and the Trustee Award in [[26th Lambda Literary Awards|2014]] in addition to her four Humor awards.
* [[Joan Nestle]] won the Lesbian Studies award for ''A Fragile Union'' in [[11th Lambda Literary Awards|1999]] in addition to her four Anthology awards.
* [[Nicola Griffith]] won the Lesbian Memoir/Biography award for ''And Now We Are Going to Have a Party'' in [[20th Lambda Literary Awards|2008]] and the [[Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize]] in [[26th Lambda Literary Awards|2014]] in addition to her four Scifi/Fantasy/Horror awards.
* [[Tristan Taormino]] won the Transgender Fiction award for ''Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica'' in [[24th Lambda Literary Awards|2012]].
* [[Alan Hollinghurst]] won the Gay Debut Fiction award for ''[[The Swimming Pool Library]]'' in [[1st Lambda Literary Awards|1989]] and the [[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction|Gay Fiction]] award for ''[[The Folding Star]]'' in [[7th Lambda Literary Awards|1995]].
* [[Joseph Hansen (writer)|Joseph Hansen]] won the Gay Mystery award for ''A Country of Old Men'' in [[4th Lambda Literary Awards|1991]] and the [[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction|Gay Fiction]] award for ''Living Upstairs'' in [[6th Lambda Literary Awards|1993]].
* [[Jeanette Winterson]] won the [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] award for ''Written on the Body'' in [[6th Lambda Literary Awards|1994]] and the Lesbian Memoir/Biography award for ''Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?'' in [[25th Lambda Literary Awards|2013]].
* [[Judy Grahn]] won the Lesbian Non-Fiction award for ''Really Reading [[Gertrude Stein]]'' in [[2nd Lambda Literary Awards|1990]] and the Poetry award for ''love belongs to those who do the feeling'' in [[21st Lambda Literary Awards|2009]].
* [[Rafael Campo (poet)|Rafael Campo]] won the Gay Poetry award for ''What the Body Told'' in [[9th Lambda Literary Awards|1997]] and the Gay Biography/Autobiography award for ''The Poetry of Healing'' in [[10th Lambda Literary Awards|1998]].
* Devon Carbado and Donald Weise won the Fiction Anthology award for ''Black Like Us'' in [[15th Lambda Literary Awards|2003]] and the LGBT Studies award for ''Time on Two Crosses'' in [[16th Lambda Literary Awards|2004]]. Weise also won the Fiction Anthology award again in [[17th Lambda Literary Awards|2005]].
* [[Alexis De Veaux]] won the Biography award for ''Warrior Poet: A Biography of [[Audre Lorde]]'' in [[17th Lambda Literary Awards|2005]] and the [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] award for ''[[Yabo]]'' in [[27th Lambda Literary Awards|2015]].
* [[Vestal McIntyre]] won the Gay Debut Fiction award for ''You Are Not Alone'' in [[18th Lambda Literary Awards|2006]] and the [[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction|Gay Fiction]] award for ''Lake Overturn'' in [[22nd Lambda Literary Awards|2010]].
* [[Mykola Dementiuk]] won the Bisexual Fiction award for ''Holy Communion'' in [[22nd Lambda Literary Awards|2010]] and the Gay Erotica award for ''The Facialist'' in [[25th Lambda Literary Awards|2013]].
* Dwight McBride won the Gay Fiction Anthology award for ''Black Like Us'' in [[15th Lambda Literary Awards|2003]] and the LGBT Studies award for ''[[The Delectable Negro]]'' in [[27th Lambda Literary Awards|2015]]
* Jeff Mann won the Gay Erotica award in [[19th Lambda Literary Awards|2007]] for ''A History of Barbed Wire'' and the Gay Romance award in [[27th Lambda Literary Awards|2015]] for ''Salvation''

Several authors have won awards in three different categories:
* [[Katherine V. Forrest]] won the Scifi/Fantasy/Horror award for ''Daughters of an Emerald Dusk'' in [[18th Lambda Literary Awards|2005]] and the Pioneer Award in [[25th Lambda Literary Awards|2013]] in addition to her five Lesbian Mystery awards.
* [[Dorothy Allison]] received both the Lesbian Small Press and [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] awards for ''[[Trash: Short Stories]]'' in [[1st Lambda Literary Awards|1989]], and the Lesbian Studies award for ''Skin'' in [[7th Lambda Literary Awards|1995]], as well as a second [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] award in [[10th Lambda Literary Awards|1998]] for ''Cavedweller''.
* [[Edmund White]] received the [[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction|Gay Fiction]] award for ''[[The Beautiful Room Is Empty]]'' in [[1st Lambda Literary Awards|1989]], the Gay Biography/Autobiography award for ''Genet'' in [[6th Lambda Literary Awards|1993]], and the Fiction Anthology award for ''Fresh Men: New Voices in Gay Fiction'' in [[17th Lambda Literary Awards|2005]].
* [[Michael Thomas Ford]] received the Humor award twice (with ''Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me and Other Trials of My Queer Life'' in [[11th Lambda Literary Awards|1999]] and ''That's Mr. Faggot to You'' in [[12th Lambda Literary Awards|2000]]), the Romance award twice (with ''Last Summer'' in [[16th Lambda Literary Awards|2004]] and ''Changing Tides'' in [[20th Lambda Literary Awards|2008]]), the Gay Mystery award (with ''What We Remember'' in [[22nd Lambda Literary Awards|2010]]), and the [[Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize]] in [[26th Lambda Literary Awards|2014]].
* [[Eileen Myles]] received the Small Press award for ''The New Fuck You'' in [[8th Lambda Literary Awards|1996]], the Lesbian Poetry award for ''School of Fish'' in [[10th Lambda Literary Awards|1998]] and the [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction]] award for ''Inferno (A Poet's Novel)'' in [[23rd Lambda Literary Awards|2010]].
* [[Michael Bronski]] received the Non-Fiction Anthology award for ''Taking Liberties'' in [[9th Lambda Literary Awards|1997]], the Fiction Anthology award for ''Pulp Friction'' in [[16th Lambda Literary Awards|2004]], and the LGBT Non-Fiction award for ''[[A Queer History of the United States]]'' in [[24th Lambda Literary Awards|2012]].

====Adaptations====
Numerous Lambda Award-winning works have been adapted for film and television:
* [[Allan Bérubé]]'s [[1990 in literature|1990]] book ''Coming Out Under Fire'', which won the [[3rd Lambda Literary Awards|1991]] Gay Non-Fiction Award, was adapted into a [[1994 in film|1994]] [[Coming Out Under Fire|documentary film]].
* [[Tony Kushner]]'s 1993 play ''[[Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes|Angels in America]]'', which won both the [[6th Lambda Literary Awards|1994]] and [[7th Lambda Literary Awards|1995]] Drama Award, was adapted into a [[2003 in television|2003]] [[HBO]] [[Angels in America (miniseries)|miniseries]], starring [[Al Pacino]] and [[Meryl Streep]] and directed by [[Mike Nichols]].
* [[Abraham Verghese]]'s [[1994 in literature|1994]] book ''[[My Own Country]]'', which won the [[7th Lambda Literary Awards|1995]] Gay Biography Award, was adapted into a [[1998 in television|1998]] television movie.
* [[John Berendt]]'s [[1994 in literature|1994]] novel ''[[Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil]]'', which won the [[7th Lambda Literary Awards|1995]] Gay Mystery Award, was adapted into a [[1997 in film|1997]] [[Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (film)|film]], starring [[Kevin Spacey]] and [[John Cusack]] and directed by [[Clint Eastwood]].
* Erica Fischer's [[1995 in literature|1995]] book ''Aimée & Jaguar'', which won the [[8th Lambda Literary Awards|1996]] Lesbian Biography Award, was adapted into a [[1999 in film|1999]] [[Aimée & Jaguar|film]], starring [[Maria Schrader]] and [[Juliane Köhler]] and directed by [[Max Färberböck]].
* [[Dorothy Allison]]'s [[1998 in literature|1998]] novel ''[[Cavedweller]]'', which won the [[11th Lambda Literary Awards|1999]] [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction Award]], was adapted into a [[2004 in film|2004]] [[Cavedweller (film)|film]], starring [[Kyra Sedgwick]] and [[Aidan Quinn]] and directed by [[Lisa Cholodenko]].
* [[Sarah Waters]]'s [[1998 in literature|1998]] novel ''[[Tipping the Velvet]]'', which won the [[12th Lambda Literary Awards|2000]] [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction Award]], was adapted into a three-part [[2002 in television|2002]] [[BBC]] [[Tipping the Velvet (TV series)|miniseries]], starring [[Rachael Stirling]] and [[Keeley Hawes]] and directed by [[Geoffrey Sax]].
* [[John Cameron Mitchell]] and [[Stephen Trask]]'s 1998 play ''[[Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical)|Hedwig and the Angry Inch]]'', which won the [[13th Lambda Literary Awards|2001]] Drama Award, was adapted into a [[2001 in film|2001]] [[Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film)|film]], starring Mitchell and Trask and directed by Mitchell.
* [[Michelle Tea]]'s [[2000 in literature|2000]] novel ''[[Valencia (novel)|Valencia]]'', which won the [[13th Lambda Literary Awards|2001]], was adapted into a [[2011 in film|2011]] [[arthouse film]].
* [[David Ebershoff]]'s [[2000 in literature|2000]] book ''[[The Danish Girl]]'', which won the [[13th Lambda Literary Awards|2001]] Transgender Award, was adapted into a [[2015 in film|2015]] [[The Danish Girl (film)|film]], starring [[Eddie Redmayne]] and [[Alicia Vikander]] and directed by [[Tom Hooper]]; Vikander subsequently won several awards for her role, including the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress Oscar]] at the [[88th Academy Awards]], the [[Empire Award for Best Actress|Best Actress Award]] at the [[21st Empire Awards]], the [[Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress Award]] at the [[20th Satellite Awards]], and the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role|Supporting Actress Award]] at the [[22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards]].
* [[Sarah Waters]]'s [[2002 in literature|2002]] novel ''[[Fingersmith (novel)|Fingersmith]]'', which won the [[15th Lambda Literary Awards|2003]] [[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction|Lesbian Fiction Award]], was adapted into a two-part [[2005 in television|2005]] [[Fingersmith (TV serial)|miniseries]], starring [[Sally Hawkins]] and [[Imelda Staunton]] and directed by [[Aisling Walsh]].
* [[Alison Bechdel]]'s 2006 memoir ''[[Fun Home]]'', which won the [[19th Lambda Literary Awards|2007]] Lesbian Memoir Award, was adapted into a 2013 [[Fun Home (musical)|musical play]].
* [[André Aciman]]'s ''[[Call Me by Your Name (novel)|Call Me by Your Name]]'', which won the [[20th Lambda Literary Awards|2008]] Gay Fiction Award, was adapted in a 2017 [[Call Me by Your Name (film)|film]] starring [[Timothée Chalamet]] and [[Armie Hammer]], receiving critical acclaim and over 200 award nominations, including [[Best Picture]], [[Best Actor]], [[Best Adapted Screenplay]] and [[Best Original Song]] at the [[90th Academy Awards]].

===Discontinued===
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
* AIDS Literature (1–3)
* [[Lambda Literary Award for Anthology|Anthologies – Fiction]]
* [[Lambda Literary Award for Anthology|Anthologies – Non-Fiction]]
* Arts and Culture
* Autobiography/Memoir
* Belles Lettres
* Biography
* Editor's Choice
* Erotica
* [[Lambda Literary Award for Anthology|Gay Anthology]]
* [[Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction|Gay Debut Fiction]]
* [[Lambda Literary Award for Gay Mystery|Gay Mystery]]
* Gay Non-Fiction
* [[List of Lambda Literary Awards winners and nominees for science fiction, fantasy and horror|Gay Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror]]
* Gay Small Press
* Gay Studies
* Humor
* [[Lambda Literary Award for Anthology|Lesbian Anthology]]
* [[Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction|Lesbian Debut Fiction]]
*[[Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery|Lesbian Mystery]]
* Lesbian Science Fiction (1)
* Lesbian Non-Fiction
* [[List of Lambda Literary Awards winners and nominees for science fiction, fantasy and horror|Lesbian Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror]]
* Lesbian Small Press
* Lesbian Studies
*[[Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction|LGBT Debut Fiction]]
* Photography/Visual Arts
* Poetry
* Publisher Service
* Romance
* Small Press
* Spirituality
* [[Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Literature|Transgender]]/[[Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature|Bisexual]]
}}

==Awards by year==
The Lambda Literary Awards are presented each year to honor works of literature published in the previous year; accordingly, the first awards ceremony may be described in different sources as either the 1989 awards (for the year of presentation) or the 1988 awards (for the year in which the nominated works were published). Beginning in 2025, submissions will be open from January-March for titles published in the previous year (they were previously open from September-November for titles published in the same year); finalists will be announced in the summer; and winners will be announced in the fall.<ref>[https://lambdaliterary.org/awards/ Lambda Literary Awards]</ref><ref>[https://lambdaliterary.org/awards/lammy-awards-faq/ Awards FAQ]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" width="85%"
|-
! Ceremony
! Year of presentation
! Year of publication
|-
| [[1st Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1989 || 1988
|-
| [[2nd Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1990 || 1989
|-
| [[3rd Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1991 || 1990
|-
| [[4th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1992 || 1991
|-
| [[5th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1993 || 1992
|-
| [[6th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1994 || 1993
|-
| [[7th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1995 || 1994
|-
| [[8th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1996 || 1995
|-
| [[9th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1997 || 1996
|-
| [[10th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1998 || 1997
|-
| [[11th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 1999 || 1998
|-
| [[12th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2000 || 1999
|-
| [[13th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2001 || 2000
|-
| [[14th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2002 || 2001
|-
| [[15th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2003 || 2002
|-
| [[16th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2004 || 2003
|-
| [[17th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2005 || 2004
|-
| [[18th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2006 || 2005
|-
| [[19th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2007 || 2006
|-
| [[20th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2008 || 2007
|-
| [[21st Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2009 || 2008
|-
| [[22nd Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2010 || 2009
|-
| [[23rd Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2011 || 2010
|-
| [[24th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2012 || 2011
|-
| [[25th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2013 || 2012
|-
| [[26th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2014 || 2013
|-
| [[27th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2015 || 2014
|-
| [[28th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2016 || 2015
|-
| [[29th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2017 || 2016
|-
| [[30th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2018 || 2017
|-
| [[31st Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2019 || 2018
|-
| [[32nd Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2020 || 2019
|-
| [[33rd Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2021 || 2020
|-
| [[34th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2022 || 2021
|-
| [[35th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2023 || 2022
|-
| [[36th Lambda Literary Awards]] || 2024 || 2023
|}

==Controversies==

===Bisexual community and ''Bi Any Other Name''===
In 1992, despite requests from the [[bisexual community]] for a more appropriate and inclusive category, the groundbreaking bisexual anthology ''[[Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out Review |work=International Gay & Lesbian Review |url=http://gaybookreviews.info/review/2488/548 |access-date=2007-11-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928141453/http://gaybookreviews.info/review/2488/548 |archive-date=2007-09-28}}</ref> by [[Loraine Hutchins]] and [[Lani Kaʻahumanu]] was forced to compete, and lost, in the category "Lesbian Anthology".<ref>{{cite web |title=1991 Lambda Literary Awards Recipients |publisher=Lambda Literary Foundation |url=http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/previous_winners/paw_1988_1991.html#1991 |access-date=2007-11-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024201/http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/previous_winners/paw_1988_1991.html |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Additionally, in 2005, ''Directed by Desire: Collected Poems'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Foreword to ''Directed by Desire: Collected Poems'' |publisher=Copper Canyon Press |via=Poetry Foundation |url=http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/178530 |access-date=21 January 2021 |last=Rich |first=Adrienne}}</ref> a posthumous collection of the [[bisexual]] [[Jamaican Americans|Jamaican-American]] writer [[June Jordan]]'s work, competed (and won) in the category "Lesbian Poetry".<ref>{{cite web |title=2005 Lambda Literary Awards Recipients |publisher=Lambda Literary Foundation |url=http://www.lambdaliterary.org/winners-finalists/04/09/lambda-literary-awards-2005/ |access-date=2011-10-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211105334/http://www.lambdaliterary.org/winners-finalists/04/09/lambda-literary-awards-2005/ |archive-date=2013-12-11}}</ref>

Led by [[BiNet USA]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Curry |first=Wendy |author-link=Wendy Curry |title=What makes a book bisexual? |work=Curried Spam |publisher=BiNet USA |year=2007 |url=http://www.binetusa.org/curriedspam.html#bibook |access-date=2007-11-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921030159/http://www.binetusa.org/curriedspam.html#bibook |archive-date=2014-09-21 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and assisted by other bisexual organizations including the [[American Institute of Bisexuality]], [[BiPOL]], and [[Bialogue]], the bisexual community launched a multi-year struggle that eventually culminated in 2006 with the addition of a Bisexual category.<ref>Chuck Stewart, ''Proud Heritage: People, Issues, and Documents of the LGBT Experience''. [[ABC-CLIO]], 2014. {{ISBN|9781610693998}}. p. 84.</ref>

===Transgender community and ''The Man Who Would Be Queen''===
In 2004, the book ''[[The Man Who Would Be Queen|The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism]]'' by the highly controversial researcher [[J. Michael Bailey]] was announced as a finalist in the Transgender category of the 2003 Awards.

[[Transgender]] people immediately protested the nomination and gathered thousands of petition signatures in opposition within a few days. After the petition, the Foundation's judges examined the book more closely, decided that they considered it [[transphobia|transphobic]] and removed it from their list of finalists.<ref>{{cite web|last=Letellier |first=Patrick |title=Group rescinds honor for disputed book |publisher=[[PlanetOut]] |date=16 March 2004 |url=http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2004/03/16/3 |access-date=2007-11-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205233535/http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2004%2F03%2F16%2F3 |archive-date=5 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Within a year the executive director who had initially approved of the book's inclusion resigned.<ref>{{cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Nomi |title=Lambda Literary Foundation Announces Major Changes |publisher=[[American Booksellers Association]] |date=16 June 2005 |url=http://news.bookweb.org/news/3606.html |access-date=2007-11-25}}</ref> Executive director Charles Flowers later stated that "the Bailey incident revealed flaws in our awards nomination process, which I have completely overhauled since becoming the foundation’s executive director in January 2006."<ref name=flowers2007>Flowers, Charles (September 20, 2007). [http://www.lambdaliterary.org/archives/archives.html Letter to the ''New York Times'', Sept 20, 2007.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517091559/http://lambdaliterary.org/archives/archives.html |date=2008-05-17}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|LGBTQ|Literature}}

* [[Stonewall Book Award]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/ Lambda Literary Awards website]

{{Lambda Literary Awards}}
{{LGBTQ fiction}}
{{LGBTQ|state=collapsed|culture=expanded}}
{{Feminist science fiction}}

[[Category:Lambda Literary Awards| ]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1989]]
[[Category:LGBTQ events in the United States]]
[[Category:LGBTQ literature in the United States]]
[[Category:Young adult literature awards]]
[[Category:1989 establishments in the United States]]