National Book Award for Fiction

The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards that recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987, the National Book Foundation has administered and presented the awards, but they are awards "by writers to writers". The judges are five "writers who are known to be doing great work in their genre or field".

General fiction was one of four categories when the awards were reestablished in 1950. For several years beginning in 1980, there were multiple fiction categories: hardcover, paperback, first novel or first work of fiction; from 1981 to 1983 hardcover and paperback children's fiction; and in 1980 five awards for mystery fiction, science fiction, and western fiction. When the Foundation celebrated the 60th postwar awards in 2009, all but three of the 77 previous winners in fiction categories were in print. The 77 included all eight 1980 winners but excluded the 1981 to 1983 children's fiction winners.

The award recognizes one book written by a U.S. citizen and published in the U.S. from December 1 to November 30. The National Book Foundation accepts nominations from publishers until June 15, requires that nominated books be mailed to the judges by August 1, and announces five finalists in October. The winner is announced on the day of the final ceremony in November. The award is $10,000 and a bronze sculpture; other finalists get $1,000, a medal, and a citation written by the panel.

Authors who have won the award more than once include William Faulkner, John Updike, William Gaddis, Jesmyn Ward, and Philip Roth, each having won twice along with numerous other nominations. Saul Bellow won the award in 1954, 1965, and 1971, and is the only author to have won three National Book Awards for Fiction.