Since 1980, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' has awarded a set of annual book prizes. The Prizes currently have nine categories:

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

, current interest, fiction, first fiction (the Art Seidenbaum Award added in 1991),

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, mystery/thriller (category added in 2000),

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...

, science and technology (category added in 1989), and

young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

(category added in 1998). In addition, the Robert Kirsch Award is presented annually to a living author with a substantial connection to the American West. It is named in honor of Robert Kirsch, the ''Los Angeles Times'' book critic from 1952 until his death in 1980 whose idea it was to establish the book prizes. The Book Prize program was founded by Art Seidenbaum, a ''Los Angeles Times'' book editor from 1978 to 1985. An award named for Seidenbaum was added a year after his death in 1990. Works are eligible during the year of their first US publication in English, and may be written originally in languages other than English. The author of each winning book and the Kirsch Award recipient receives a citation and $1,000. The prizes are presented the day before the annual ''Los Angeles Times'' Festival of Books.

Winners

Biography

Current interest

Fiction

History

Mystery/thriller

Science and technology

Poetry

Young adult literature

The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

Graphic Novel/Comics

The Robert Kirsch Award

Innovator's Award

The Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose

The ''Los Angeles Times'' – Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose has been awarded in partnership with the Christopher Isherwood Foundation since April 2017 (for 2016).

The Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction

References

External links

Honorees by Year and Award
''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prizes. {{Los Angeles Times Book Prize Los Angeles Times Biography awards American non-fiction literary awards Mystery and detective fiction awards American poetry awards First book awards Literary awards by magazines and newspapers Awards established in 1980 1980 establishments in California English-language literary awards