Organization: The Alice B. Awards Committee is a mostly anonymous group of lesbians living in southern Arizona who are avid readers. The award is made possible by money supplied by an anonymous donor. The donor and the committee share a common goal: to reward and thank writers of lesbian fiction for their contribution to the lesbian community, culture, and identity. We like to think our Medal winners are our “All Time, All-Star” writers.

History: The Alice B. Awards Committee was established originally to encourage submissions of quality manuscripts to a small press and to reward the writers of well-written books. That press went out of business, and subsequently the goal of the group was altered from awarding a prize for a single book to awarding a medal for “Lifetime Achievement.” Winners under the initial guidelines were: Gerri Hill, Nancy Sanra, Aya Walksfar, and Radclyffe. Radclyffe’s award was for that year’s “body of work,” and she was the only one not involved with the original publisher.
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Alice B. Toklas, a Guiding Inspiration

The Alice B. Medal: This award is given annually to living writers who have careers distinguished by consistently well-written stories about lesbians. The award is given once, only, in appreciation of career achievement. In addition to the medal, each recipient is given a lapel pin and a gift of a $500.

At least two Medals are given out annually. Selections are made from lists compiled by the committee members’ all-time favorite living authors. One list is of writers who are currently publishing and one list is of those writers who have not published in more than 5 years. One selection must come from each list. In order to qualify to be on the list, a writer must have published at least 3 books. Decisions are by consensus. In order to be selected as a “current” winner, the writer must have published within the past two years and be in the top 10 on that list. The order of selection for this prize has nothing to do with how the writers are ranked in our hearts and minds.

Current Medal Winners
Past Medal Winners

The Lavender Certificate: This award is given to an author who, in the committee’s opinion, has written the best “maiden” or first novel in the previous year. The award is rather modest in that it is merely a certificate and a gift of a $50, which we suggest be used to be used for a celebratory dinner out. This award is merely a token of encouragement and a note to encourage the writer and say, “Well done!”

Current Certificate Winners
Past Certificate Winners