Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by

Lambda Literary The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

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 The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

literature were dropped as the prominence of the AIDS crisis within the gay community waned, and categories for

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

and

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

literature were added as the community became more inclusive. In addition to the primary literary awards, Lambda Literary also presents a number of special awards.

Award categories

Current

Notes

¹ 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 The 29th Lambda Literary Awards were held on June 13, 2017, to honour works of LGBT literature published in 2016. The nominees were announced in March 14, and the winners announced at a gala ceremony on Monday evening, June 12, 2017 in New York Ci ...

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 Ellen Hart (born August 10, 1949) is the award-winning mystery author of the Jane Lawless and Sophie Greenway series. Born in Maine, she was a professional chef for 14 years. Hart's mysteries include culinary elements similar to those of Diane ...

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 Katherine V. Forrest (born 1939) is a Canadian-born American writer, best known for her novels about lesbian police detective Kate Delafield. Her books have won and been finalists for Lambda Literary Award twelve times, as well as other awards. S ...

and 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 R. D. Zimmerman, and two-time winner

Marshall Thornton Marshall Thornton is an American writer of gay and lesbian mysteries best known for his ''Boystown'' series. He's won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Mystery thrice and has been a finalist for the award six times. He's also been a finalist for ...

). Marshall Thornton is the only author in the gay mystery category to have won twice for two different series.

Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her Graphic novel, graphic memoir ''Fun ...

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,

Michael Thomas Ford Michael Thomas Ford (born October 1, 1968) is an American author of primarily gay-themed literature. He is best known for his "My Queer Life" series of comedic essay collections and for his award-winning novels ''Last Summer'', ''Looking for It' ...

David Sedaris David Raymond Sedaris ( ; born December 26, 1956) is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay " Santaland Diaries". He published his first col ...

, and

David Rakoff David Benjamin Rakoff (November 27, 1964 – August 9, 2012) was a Canadian-born American writer of prose and poetry based in New York City, who wrote humorous and sometimes autobiographical non-fiction essays. Rakoff was an essayist, journ ...

). The Humor category has been discontinued.

Nicola Griffith Nicola Griffith (; born 30 September 1960) is a British American novelist, essayist, and teacher. She has won the Washington State Book Award (twice), Nebula Award, James Tiptree, Jr. Award, World Fantasy Award, ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Priz ...

and

Melissa Scott Melissa Scott (born 1960) is an American science fiction and fantasy author noted for her science fiction novels featuring LGBT characters and elaborate settings. Biography Scott was born 1960, in Little Rock, Arkansas, studied history at Harva ...

have each won four awards in the Scifi/Fantasy/Horror category, and are two of six writers to have won the SFFH award more than once (with Stephen Pagel,

Jim Grimsley Jim Grimsley (born September 21, 1955) is an American novelist and playwright. Biography Born to a rural family in Grifton, North Carolina, Grimsley said of his childhood that "for us in the South, the family is a field where craziness grows l ...

, and Lee Thomas).

Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sara ...

has won three awards in the

Lesbian Fiction Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics. A similar term is Sapphic love, sapphic literature, encom ...

category, for ''

Tipping the Velvet ''Tipping the Velvet'' is a 1998 debut novel by Welsh novelist Sarah Waters. A historical fiction, historical novel set in England during the 1890s, it tells a coming-of-age story about a young woman named Nan who falls in love with a Cross-dr ...

'' (

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

), '' Fingersmith'' (

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

), and ''The Night Watch'' in (

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

), and is one of only three writers to have won the Lesbian Fiction award more than once (with two-time winners

Dorothy Allison Dorothy Earlene Allison (April 11, 1949 – November 6, 2024) was an American writer whose writing focused on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism, and lesbianism. She was a self-identified femme lesbian. Allison won a number o ...

and

Achy Obejas Achy Obejas (born June 28, 1956) is a Cuban-American writer and translator focused on personal and national identity issues, living in Benicia, California. She frequently writes on her sexuality and nationality, and has received numerous awards fo ...

Mark Doty Mark Doty (born August 10, 1953) is an American poet and memoirist best known for his work ''My Alexandria.'' He was the winner of the National Book Award for Poetry in 2008. Early life Mark Doty was born in Maryville, Tennessee, to Lawrence ...

and

Adrienne Rich Adrienne Cecile Rich ( ; May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the ...

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 Joan Larkin (born April 16, 1939 in Boston) is an American poet, playwright, and writing teacher. She was active in the small press lesbian feminist publishing explosion of the 1970s, co-founding the independent publishing company Out & Out Boo ...

, Michael Klein,

Marilyn Hacker Marilyn Hacker (born November 27, 1942) is an American poet, translator and critic. She is Professor of English emerita at the City College of New York. Her books of poetry include ''Presentation Piece'' (1974), which won the National Book Award, ...

Audre Lorde Audre Lorde ( ; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, professor, philosopher, Intersectional feminism, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "Bl ...

, and J. D. McClatchy)

Richard Labonté Richard Labonté (1949 – March 20, 2022) was a Canadian writer and editor, best known as the editor or co-editor of numerous anthologies of LGBT literature.Radclyffe Radclyffe (real name Dr. Lenora Ruth Barot, born 1950) is an American author of lesbian romance, paranormal romance, erotica, and mystery. She has authored multiple short stories, written fan fiction, and edited numerous anthologies. Radclyffe i ...

, and

Tristan Taormino Tristan Taormino (born May 9, 1971) is an American feminist author, sex educator, and pornographic film director. She is most recently known for her book ''Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships,'' which is often recomm ...

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 Karin Kallmaker (born 1960) is an American author of lesbian fiction whose works also include those originally written under the name Laura Adams. Her writings span lesbian romance, lesbian erotica, and lesbian science-fiction/fantasy. Dubbed th ...

and

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

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

– and each winning their second after the category was split – Ford with ''Changing Tides'' in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and Kallmaer with ''The Kiss That Counted'' in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

Colm Tóibín Colm Tóibín ( , ; born 30 May 1955) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist, critic, playwright and poet. His first novel, ''The South (novel), The South'', was published in 1990. ''The Blackwater Lightship'' was short ...

is the only writer to have won two awards in the

Gay Fiction ''Gay'' is a term that Terminology of homosexuality, primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to Gay men, ...

category for '' The Master'' in

and for ''

The Empty Family ''The Empty Family'' is a collection of short stories by Irish writer Colm Tóibín. It was published in the UK in October 2010 and was released in the US in January 2011. Reception ''The Empty Family'' was shortlisted for the 2011 Frank O'Conn ...

'' in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Paul Monette Paul Landry Monette (October 16, 1945 – February 10, 1995) was an American author, poet, and activist best known for his books about gay relationships. In 1992, he won the National Book Award for Nonfiction. Early life and career Monette was b ...

is the only writer to have won two awards in the Gay Non-Fiction category, for ''Borrowed Time'' in

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

and for ''Becoming a Man'' in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

Lillian Faderman Lillian Faderman (born July 18, 1940) is an American historian whose books on lesbian history and LGBT history have earned critical praise and awards. ''The New York Times'' named three of her books on its "Notable Books of the Year" list. In addi ...

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 ''Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America'' is a non-fiction book by Lillian Faderman chronicling lesbian life in the 20th century. In 1992, it won the Stonewall Book Award for non-fiction and was sel ...

'' in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

* The Fiction Anthology Award for ''Chloe Plus Olivia'' in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

* The Lesbian Studies Award for ''To Believe in Women'' in

* The Autobiography/Memoir Award for ''Naked in the Promised Land'' in

* The LGBT Arts & Culture award for ''Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics and Lipstick Lesbians'' in

* The LGBT Non-Fiction award for ''Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics and Lipstick Lesbians'' in

* The Pioneer Award in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. 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): *

received both Gay Non-Fiction and AIDS Literature awards for ''Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir'' in

. * Michael Nava received both Gay Mystery/Science Fiction and Gay Small Press awards for ''Golden Boy'' in 1989. *

received both Lesbian Small Press and

awards for '' Trash: Short Stories'' in 1989. * Martin B. Duberman received both Gay Anthology and Lesbian Anthology awards for ''Hidden from History'' in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. *

Jewelle Gomez Jewelle Lydia Gomez (born September 11, 1948) is an American author, poet, critic and playwright. She lived in New York City for 22 years, working in public television, theater, as well as philanthropy, before relocating to the West Coast. Her ...

received both Lesbian Scifi/Fantasy/Horror and

awards for ''The Gilda Stories'' in

. * Loren Cameron received both Small Press and Transgender awards for '' Body Alchemy: Transsexual Portraits'' in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

. * Lisa C. Moore received both Small Press and Lesbian Studies awards for ''Does Your Mama Know?'' in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. * James Saslow received both Gay Studies and Visual Arts awards for ''Pictures and Passions'' in

. * Noelle Howey and Ellen Samuels received both Anthologies/Non-Fiction and Children's/Young Adult awards for ''Out of the Ordinary'' in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

. *

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

. * Robert Westfield received both Gay Debut Fiction and

awards for ''Suspension'' in

. Several writers have won awards in more than one category in the same year for different works: *

Jacqueline Woodson Jacqueline Woodson (born February 12, 1963) is an American writer of books for children and adolescents. She is best known for '' Miracle's Boys'', and her Newbery Honor-winning titles '' Brown Girl Dreaming'', '' After Tupac and D Foster'', ''F ...

received the awards for Children/Young Adult (with ''From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun'') and

(with ''Autobiography of a Family Photo'') in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

. *

Radclyffe Radclyffe (real name Dr. Lenora Ruth Barot, born 1950) is an American author of lesbian romance, paranormal romance, erotica, and mystery. She has authored multiple short stories, written fan fiction, and edited numerous anthologies. Radclyffe i ...

received the awards for Erotica (with ''Stolen Moments'') and Romance (with ''Distant Shores, Silent Thunder'') in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. *

received the awards for Lesbian Mystery (with ''The Blue Place'') and Scifi/Fantasy/Horror (with '' Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction'') in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. *

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

. *

Benjamin Alire Sáenz Benjamin Alire Sáenz (born August 16, 1954) is an American poet, novelist, and writer of children's books. Early life and education Sáenz was raised near Las Cruces, New Mexico. He earned a BA in Humanities and Philosophy from St. Thomas Semin ...

received the awards for

(with ''

Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club ''Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club'' is a collection of short stories by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, published in 2012 by Cinco Puntos Press. The book compiles seven short stories, all set in the Hispanic/Latino community in El Paso, ...

'') and LGBT Children's/Young Adult (with ''

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe ''Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe'' is a coming-of-age young adult novel by American author Benjamin Alire Sáenz which was first published February 21, 2012. Set in El Paso, Texas in 1987, the novel follows two Mexican ...

'') in

. Several other writers have won awards in more than one category in different years and for different works: *

won the Lesbian Biography/Autobiography award for ''The Indelible Alison Bechdel'' in

, the Lesbian Memoir/Biography award for '' Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic'' in

, and the Trustee Award in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

in addition to her four Humor awards. *

Joan Nestle Joan Nestle (born May 12, 1940) is a Lambda Award-winning writer and editor and a founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives. She is openly lesbian and sees her work of archival work as critical to her identity as "a woman, as a lesbian, and as a ...

won the Lesbian Studies award for ''A Fragile Union'' in

in addition to her four Anthology awards. *

won the Lesbian Memoir/Biography award for ''And Now We Are Going to Have a Party'' in

and the

Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize The Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize is an American literary award, presented to two writers, one male and one female, from the LGBT community to honour their body of work. First presented by the Saints and Sinners Literary Fe ...

in addition to her four Scifi/Fantasy/Horror awards. *

won the Transgender Fiction award for ''Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica'' in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. *

Alan Hollinghurst Sir Alan James Hollinghurst (born 26 May 1954) is an English novelist, poet, short story writer and translator. He won the 1989 Somerset Maugham Award and the 1994 James Tait Black Memorial Prize. In 2004, he won the Booker Prize for his novel ...

won the Gay Debut Fiction award for ''

The Swimming Pool Library ''The Swimming-Pool Library'' is a 1988 novel by Alan Hollinghurst. The novel won two awards including Somerset Maugham Award 1988 followed by American Academy of Arts and Letters E.M. Forster Award 1989. Plot introduction In 1983 London, Wi ...

'' in

and the

award for '' The Folding Star'' in

. * Joseph Hansen won the Gay Mystery award for ''A Country of Old Men'' in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and the

award for ''Living Upstairs'' in

. *

Jeanette Winterson Jeanette Winterson (born 27 August 1959) is an English author. Her first book, '' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', was a semi-autobiographical novel about a lesbian growing up in an English Pentecostal community. Other novels explore gender ...

won the

award for ''Written on the Body'' in

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

and the Lesbian Memoir/Biography award for ''Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?'' in

. *

Judy Grahn Judy Grahn (born July 28, 1940) is an American poet and author. Inspired by her experiences of disenfranchisement as a butch lesbian, she became a feminist poet, highly-regarded in underground circles before achieving public fame. A major infl ...

won the Lesbian Non-Fiction award for ''Really Reading

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and ...

'' in

and the Poetry award for ''love belongs to those who do the feeling'' in

. * Rafael Campo won the Gay Poetry award for ''What the Body Told'' in

and the Gay Biography/Autobiography award for ''The Poetry of Healing'' in

. * Devon Carbado and Donald Weise won the Fiction Anthology award for ''Black Like Us'' in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

and the LGBT Studies award for ''Time on Two Crosses'' in

. Weise also won the Fiction Anthology award again in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

. *

Alexis De Veaux Alexis De Veaux (sometimes as Alexis DeVeaux) (born 1948) is an American writer and illustrator. She chaired the Department of Women's Studies, at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Biography De Veaux was born in Harlem on September 2 ...

won the Biography award for ''Warrior Poet: A Biography of

'' in

and the

award for ''

Yabo is a Japanese term describing something that is unaesthetic or unappealing. ''Yabo'' is the antonym of ''iki''. ''Busui'' (無粋), literally "non-''iki''", is synonymous with ''yabo''. A non-''iki'' thing is not necessarily ''yabo'' but probab ...

'' in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. *

Vestal McIntyre Vestal McIntyre is an American author currently based in the UK. He was born in Nampa, Idaho, and educated at Tufts University, Massachusetts. His first collection of short stories, ''You Are Not the One'', was published by the independent Scotti ...

won the Gay Debut Fiction award for ''You Are Not Alone'' in

and the

award for ''Lake Overturn'' in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. *

Mykola Dementiuk Mykola Dementiuk (born 1949) is an American author. A graduate of Columbia University, his work has appeared in '' Pink Pages'', ''Atom Mind'', ''Paramour'', and ''EIDOS Magazine''. He was a member of the road crew for Lollapalooza, the Big Appl ...

won the Bisexual Fiction award for ''Holy Communion'' in

and the Gay Erotica award for ''The Facialist'' in

. * Dwight McBride won the Gay Fiction Anthology award for ''Black Like Us'' in

and the LGBT Studies award for ''

The Delectable Negro ''The Delectable Negro: Human Consumption and Homoeroticism within U.S. Slave Culture'' is a 2014 book by Vincent Woodard. The book explores the homoeroticism of both literal and figurative acts of human cannibalism that occurred during slavery i ...

'' in

* Jeff Mann won the Gay Erotica award in

for ''A History of Barbed Wire'' and the Gay Romance award in

for ''Salvation'' Several authors have won awards in three different categories: *

won the Scifi/Fantasy/Horror award for ''Daughters of an Emerald Dusk'' in

and the Pioneer Award in

in addition to her five Lesbian Mystery awards. *

received both the Lesbian Small Press and

awards for '' Trash: Short Stories'' in

, and the Lesbian Studies award for ''Skin'' in

, as well as a second

award in

for ''Cavedweller''. *

Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (January 13, 1940 – June 3, 2025) was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. A pioneering figure in LGBTQ and especially gay literature after the Stonewall riots, he wrote with ra ...

received the

award for ''

The Beautiful Room Is Empty ''The Beautiful Room Is Empty'' is a 1988 semi-autobiographical novel by Edmund White. It is the second of a trilogy of novels, being preceded by '' A Boy's Own Story'' (1982) and followed by '' The Farewell Symphony'' (1997). It depicts th ...

'' in

, the Gay Biography/Autobiography award for ''Genet'' in

, and the Fiction Anthology award for ''Fresh Men: New Voices in Gay Fiction'' in

. *

received the Humor award twice (with ''Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me and Other Trials of My Queer Life'' in

and ''That's Mr. Faggot to You'' in

), the Romance award twice (with ''Last Summer'' in

and ''Changing Tides'' in

), the Gay Mystery award (with ''What We Remember'' in

), and the

. *

Eileen Myles Eileen Myles (born December 9, 1949) is an American poet and writer who has produced more than twenty volumes of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, libretti, plays, and performance pieces over the last three decades. Novelist Dennis Cooper has des ...

received the Small Press award for ''The New Fuck You'' in

, the Lesbian Poetry award for ''School of Fish'' in

and the

award for ''Inferno (A Poet's Novel)'' in

. *

Michael Bronski Michael Bronski (born May 12, 1949) is an American academic and writer, best known for his 2011 book ''A Queer History of the United States''. He has been involved with LGBT politics since 1969 as an activist and organizer. He has won numerous a ...

received the Non-Fiction Anthology award for ''Taking Liberties'' in

, the Fiction Anthology award for ''Pulp Friction'' in

, and the LGBT Non-Fiction award for ''

A Queer History of the United States ''A Queer History of the United States'' is a concise history of LGBTQ people in US society. It describes ways in which queer people have influenced the evolution of the United States, and how the culture of the United States has affected the ...

'' in

Adaptations

Numerous Lambda Award-winning works have been adapted for film and television: *

Allan Bérubé Allan Bérubé (pronounced BEH-ruh-bay; December 3, 1946 – December 11, 2007) was a gay American historian, activist, independent scholar, self-described "community-based" researcher and college drop-out, and award-winning author, best know ...

book ''Coming Out Under Fire'', which won the

Gay Non-Fiction Award, was adapted into a

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

. *

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...

's 1993 play ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a 1991 American two-part Play (theatre), play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The two parts of the play, ''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika'', may be presented separate ...

'', which won both the

and

Drama Award, was adapted into a

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

, starring

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

and

Meryl Streep Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...

and directed by

Mike Nichols Mike Nichols (born Igor Mikhail Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theatre director and comedian. He worked across a range of genres and had an aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of ...

. *

Abraham Verghese Abraham Verghese (born May 30, 1955) is a Malayali-American physician and author, who was born in Ethiopia. He is the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair for the Theory & Practice of Medicine, and Intern ...

book '' My Own Country'', which won the

Gay Biography Award, was adapted into a

television movie. *

John Berendt John Berendt (born December 5, 1939) is an American author, known for writing the best-selling non-fiction book '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'', which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, and '' The Ci ...

novel ''

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published on January 10, 1994, and follows the story of Jim Williams, an antiques dealer on trial for the killing of Danny Hansf ...

'', which won the

Gay Mystery Award, was adapted into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, starring

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

and

John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...

and directed by

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

. * Erica Fischer's

book ''Aimée & Jaguar'', which won the

Lesbian Biography Award, was adapted into a

, starring

Maria Schrader Maria Schrader (born 27 September 1965) is a German actress, screenwriter, and director. She directed the award-winning 2007 film ''Love Life'' and the 2020 Netflix miniseries '' Unorthodox'', for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Ou ...

and

Juliane Köhler Juliane Köhler (born 6 August 1965) is a German theatre, television and film actress. She was born in Göttingen to a puppeteer. During the period from 1985 to 1988, she studied under Uta Hagen in New York City and attended HB Studio. She also ...

and directed by

Max Färberböck Max Färberböck (born 22 September 1950) is a German film director and writer. He was born in Brannenburg, Bavaria. He began his career at theaters in Buenos Aires and in Italy. He later studied at the University of Television and Film in Munic ...

. *

novel ''

Cavedweller ''Cavedweller'' is the second novel from author Dorothy Allison. Much like her award-winning novel, ''Bastard Out of Carolina'', ''Cavedweller'' deals with domestic violence, friendship among women, mother–daughter bonds, and poverty in the sm ...

'', which won the

Lesbian Fiction Award, was adapted into a

, starring

Kyra Sedgwick Kyra Minturn Sedgwick ( ; born August 19, 1965) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the crime drama ''The Closer'' (2005–2012), for which she won a Golden ...

and

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an Irish-American actor. He made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984), and has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), '' Stakeout'' (1987) ...

and directed by

Lisa Cholodenko Lisa Cholodenko is an American screenwriter and director. Cholodenko wrote and directed the films ''High Art'' (1998), ''Laurel Canyon (film), Laurel Canyon'' (2002), and ''The Kids Are All Right (film), The Kids Are All Right'' (2010). She has a ...

. *

novel ''

'', which won the

Lesbian Fiction Award, was adapted into a three-part

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, starring

Rachael Stirling Rachael Atlanta Stirling (born 30 May 1977). is an English stage, film and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Laurence Olivier Award for her stage work. She played Nancy Astley in the BBC drama '' Tipping the Velvet'', and ...

and

Keeley Hawes Clare Julia Keeley Hawes (born 10 February 1976) is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including '' Our Mutual Friend'' (1998) and '' Tipping the Velvet'' (2002), Hawes rose to fame for her portray ...

and directed by

Geoffrey Sax Geoffrey Sax (sometimes credited as Geoff Sax) is a British film and television director, who has worked on a variety of drama productions in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Life and career He began his directing career in the l ...

. *

John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), Hedwig and t ...

and

Stephen Trask Stephen Trask (born Stephen R. Schwartz; born August 29, 1966) is an American musician and composer who graduated from Wesleyan University. He was the music director and house band member at the New York City club Squeezebox, where they performe ...

's 1998 play ''

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Hedwig and the Angry Inch may refer to: * ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (musical), 1998 ** ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (soundtrack), 1999 * ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (film), 2001 {{disambig ...

'', which won the

Drama Award, was adapted into a

, starring Mitchell and Trask and directed by Mitchell. *

Michelle Tea Michelle Tea (born Michelle Tomasik, 1971) is an American author, poet, and literary arts organizer whose autobiographical works explore queer culture, feminism, race, class, sex work, and other topics. She is originally from Chelsea, Massachuse ...

novel ''

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

'', which won the

, was adapted into a

arthouse film An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

. *

David Ebershoff David Ebershoff (born January 17, 1969) is an American writer, editor, and teacher. His debut novel, '' The Danish Girl'', was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film of the same name in 2015, while his third novel, '' The 19th Wife'', was ...

book ''

The Danish Girl ''The Danish Girl'' is a novel by American writer David Ebershoff, published in 2000 by the Viking Press in the United States and Allen & Unwin in Australia. The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of Lili Elbe, one of the first tra ...

'', which won the

Transgender Award, was adapted into a

, starring

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne OBE (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Olivier Awards. Redmayne began his professional ac ...

and

Alicia Vikander Alicia Amanda Vikander (; ; born 3 October 1988) is a Swedish actress. List of awards and nominations received by Alicia Vikander, Her accolades include an Academy Award and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and three British Academy Film ...

and directed by

Tom Hooper Thomas George Hooper (born 5 October 1972)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005''. 5d: 2485. is a British-Australian filmmaker. Known for his work in film and television he has received numerous accolades includ ...

; Vikander subsequently won several awards for her role, including the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at the

88th Academy Awards The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2015 and took place on February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PST. D ...

, the Best Actress Award at the

21st Empire Awards The 21st Empire Awards ceremony (officially known as the Jameson Empire Awards), presented by the British film magazine ''Empire'', honored the best films of 2015 and took place on 20 March 2016 in London, England. '' Star Wars: The Force Awake ...

, the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 20th Satellite Awards, and the Supporting Actress Award at the

22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2015, were presented on January 30, 2016 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was broadcast o ...

. *

novel '' Fingersmith'', which won the

Lesbian Fiction Award, was adapted into a two-part

, starring

Sally Hawkins Sally Cecilia Hawkins (born 27 April 1976) is an English actress of stage and screen. She began her career on stage and then moved into film, for which she has received several accolades including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominatio ...

and

Imelda Staunton Dame Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre pr ...

and directed by

Aisling Walsh Aisling Walsh (born 1958) is an Irish screenwriter and director. Her work has screened at festivals around the world and she has won several accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award for '' Room at the Top'' (2012) as well as an Irish Film and Tele ...

. *

's 2006 memoir ''

Fun Home ''Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic'' is a 2006 graphic memoir by the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of the comic strip '' Dykes to Watch Out For''. It chronicles the author's childhood and youth in rural Pennsylvania, United States, ...

'', which won the

Lesbian Memoir Award, was adapted into a 2013

musical play Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

. *

André Aciman André Aciman (; born 2 January 1951) is an Italian-American writer. Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, he is currently a distinguished professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he teaches the history of lit ...

's '' Call Me by Your Name'', which won the

Gay Fiction Award, was adapted in a 2017

starring

Timothée Chalamet Timothée Hal Chalamet ( ; born December 27, 1995) is an American and French actor. List of awards and nominations received by Timothée Chalamet, His accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to ...

and

Armie Hammer Armand Douglas Hammer (born August 28, 1986) is an American actor. He began his acting career with guest appearances in several television series. His first leading role was as Billy Graham in the 2008 film '' Billy: The Early Years'' and Hamme ...

, receiving critical acclaim and over 200 award nominations, including

Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and

Best Original Song The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best ...

at the

90th Academy Awards The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held on March 4, ...

Discontinued

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.

Controversies

Bisexual community and ''Bi Any Other Name''

In 1992, despite requests from the

bisexual community The bisexual community, also known as the bi+, b+, m-spec, bisexual/pansexual, bi/pan/fluid community, or bisexual umbrella, includes members of the LGBTQ community who identify as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual and sexually flui ...

for a more appropriate and inclusive category, the groundbreaking bisexual anthology '' Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out'' by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Kaʻahumanu was forced to compete, and lost, in the category "Lesbian Anthology". Additionally, in 2005, ''Directed by Desire: Collected Poems'', a posthumous collection of the

Jamaican-American Jamaican Americans are an ethnic group of Caribbean Americans who have full or partial Jamaican ancestry. The largest proportions of Jamaican Americans live in South Florida and New York City, both of which have been home to large Jamaican comm ...

writer

June Jordan June Millicent Jordan (July 9, 1936 – June 14, 2002) was an American poet, essayist, teacher, and activist. In her writing she explored issues of gender, race, immigration, and representation. Jordan was passionate about using Black English ...

's work, competed (and won) in the category "Lesbian Poetry". Led by

BiNet USA BiNet USA (officially Bi/Net USA, The Bisexual Network of the USA Inc.) was an American national nonprofit bisexual community whose mission was to "facilitate the development of a cohesive network of bisexual communities, promote bisexual visibil ...

, and assisted by other bisexual organizations including the

American Institute of Bisexuality The American Institute of Bisexuality (AIB) is a charity founded on July 23, 1998, by sex researcher, psychiatrist and bisexual rights activist Fritz Klein to promote research and education about bisexuality. AIB produces the '' Journal of Bise ...

, BiPOL, and Bialogue, the bisexual community launched a multi-year struggle that eventually culminated in 2006 with the addition of a Bisexual category.

Transgender community and ''The Man Who Would Be Queen''

In 2004, the book '' 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 A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

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

transphobic Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender or transsexual people, or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social ...

and removed it from their list of finalists. Within a year the executive director who had initially approved of the book's inclusion resigned. 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."Flowers, Charles (September 20, 2007)
Letter to the ''New York Times'', Sept 20, 2007.

References

External links

Lambda Literary Awards website
{{Feminist science fiction Awards established in 1989 LGBTQ events in the United States LGBTQ literature in the United States Young adult literature awards 1989 establishments in the United States

Award categories

Current

Notes

Tallies

Adaptations

Discontinued

Awards by year

Controversies

Bisexual community and ''Bi Any Other Name''

Transgender community and ''The Man Who Would Be Queen''

See also

References

External links