The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, now in its fourth year, is an annual $25,000 cash prize given to a writer for a single work of imaginative fiction. The award recognizes writers Ursula spoke of in her 2014 National Book Awards speech–the “realists of a larger reality” who can imagine real grounds for hope and see alternatives to how we live now.

The prize nomination process is open to all–and depends on the quality and diversity of nominations from readers. From March 1 through 31st, readers, authors, booksellers, publishers, librarians–and any and everyone else–are invited to nominate work that reflects the concepts and ideas that were central to Ursula’s own work, including: hope, equity, and freedom; non-violence and alternatives to conflict; and a holistic view of humanity’s place in the natural world.

Nominated books should be written by a single author; published in English or in translation to English for the first time in the U.S. between April 1st and December 31st, 2024; and be available through multiple U.S. retail channels.

This year’s recipient will be selected by authors Matt Bell, Indra Das, Kelly Link, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Rebecca Roanhorse. Click here to see the criteria for this year’s prize and nominate a book!