Awards & Recognitions

Margaret Atwood has been recognized internationally for her work through awards and honourary degrees.

1960-1969:

  • E.J. Pratt Medal, 1961
  • President’s Medal, University of Western Ontario, 1965
  • Governor General’s Award: Circle Game, 1966
  • Centennial Commission Poetry Competition, First, 1967
  • Union Poetry Prize, Poetry (Chicago), 1969

1970-1979:

  • Officer, Order of Canada, 1973
  • The Bess Hoskins Prize, Poetry (Chicago), 1974
  • The City of Toronto Book Award, 1977
  • The Canadian Bookseller’s Association Award, 1977
  • Periodical Distributors of Canada Short Fiction, 1977
  • St. Lawrence Award for Fiction, 1978

1980-1989:

  • Radcliffe Graduate medal, 1980
  • Molson Award, 1981
  • Guggenheim Fellowship, 1981
  • Companion of the Order of Canada, 1981
  • Welsh Arts Council International Writer’s Prize, 1982
  • Periodical Distributors of Canada and the Foundation for The Advancement of Canadian Letters Book of the Year Award 1983
  • Ida Nudel Humanitarian Award, 1986
  • Toronto Arts Award, 1986
  • Governor General’s Award, The Handmaid’s Tale 1986
  • Los Angeles Times Fiction Award, 1986
  • Ms. Magazine, Woman of the Year, 1986
  • Short-listed for the Booker Prize (England), 1987
  • Short-listed for the Ritz Hemingway Prize (Paris), 1987
  • Arthur C. Clarke Award for best Science Fiction, 1987
  • Commonwealth Literary Prize, Regional winner, 1987
  • Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Silver Medal, Best Article of the Year, 1987
  • Humanist of the Year Award, 1987
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, 1987
  • YWCA Women of Distinction Award, 1988
  • National Magazine Award for Environmental Journalism, First Prize, 1988
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Foreign Honourary Member, Literature, 1988
  • Cat’s Eye, Torgi Talking Book (CNIB), 1989
  • Cat’s Eye, City of Toronto Book Award, 1989
  • Cat’s Eye, Coles Book of the Year, 1989
  • Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year 1989
  • Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters / Periodical Marketers of Canada Book of the Year 1989 for Cat’s Eye
  • Short-listed for the Booker Prize (England), 1989

1990-1999:

  • Order of Ontario, 1990
  • Centennial Medal, Harvard University, 1990
  • Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario writing, for Wilderness Tips, 1992
  • John Hughes Prize, from the Welsh Development Board, 1992
  • Book of the Year Award from the Periodical Marketers of Canada, for Wilderness Tips, 1992
  • Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation, 1992
  • Canadian Authors’ Association Novel of the Year,  for The Robber Bride, 1993
  • Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario Writing (The Robber Bride), 1994
  • Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Canadian and Caribbean Region, for The Robber Bride, 1994
  • Government of France’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 1994
  • Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence (The Robber Bride, London U.K.), 1994
  • Swedish Humour Association’s International Humourous Writer Award, 1995
  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1995
  • Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario writing, for Morning in the Burned House, 1995
  • Norwegian Order of Literary Merit, 1996
  • Short-listed for the Booker Prize for Alias Grace, 1996
  • The Giller Prize for Alias Grace, 1996
  • Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year, 1996
  • National Arts Club Medal of Honor for Literature, U.S.A., 1997
  • Premio Mondello for Alias Grace, Italy, 1997
  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1997
  • Salon Magazine Best Fiction of the Year for Alias Grace, 1997
  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1998
  • London Literature Award, 1999
  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1999

2000-2010:

  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2000
  • Winner Booker Prize for The Blind Assassin, 2000
  • Nominated for the Orange Prize, 2001
  • International Crimewriters Assocation Dashiell Hammett Award, 2001
  • Canadian Booksellers Association People’s Choice Award, 2001
  • Short-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for The Blind Assassin, 2002
  • NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2003
  • The Radcliffe Medal, 2003
  • Harold Washington Literary Award, 2003
  • Short-listed for the Man Booker Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2003
  • Short-listed for the Giller Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2003
  • Short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction for Oryx and Crake, 2003
  • Short-listed for the Orange Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2004
  • NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2004
  • Short-listed for the Booker International Prize, 2005
  • Banff Centre’s National Arts Award, 2005
  • Edinburgh’s International Book Festival Enlightenment Award, 2005
  • Chicago Tribune Literary Prize, 2005
  • Markets Initiative Order of the Forest, 2006
  • Short-listed for Booker International Prize, 2007
  • Winner Blue Metropolis Literary Grand Prix, Montreal, 2007
  • Finalist, Gov. General’s Literary Award for The Door, 2007
  • Kenyon Review Literary Achievement Award, USA, 2007
  • Honourary Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, 2007
  • Prince of Asturias Award for Letters, Spain, 2008

2010-2020 :

  • Crystal Award, World Economic Forum, Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 2010
  • Nelly Sachs Prize, Dortmund, Germany, 2010
  • Dan David Prize for Literature, 2011
  • Sun Life Financial Arts & Communications Award: 2011 Canada’s Most Powerful Women, Top 100
  • Governor General of Canada’s Golden Jubilee Medal, 2012
  • Canadian Booksellers’ Lifetime Achievement Award, 2012
  • Nashville Public Library Foundation Literary Award, 2012
  • Companion, Royal Society of Literature, 2012
  • L.A. Times Innovator’s Award, 2013
  • Heart and Vision Award, Toronto United Church Council, 2013
  • President’s Medal (with Graeme Gibson), BirdLife International, 2013
  • 2014 Harvard Arts Medal
  • 2014 Orion Book Award for MaddAddam (fiction)
  • Toronto Botanical Gardens Aster Award, 2014
  • Institute for Arts & Humanities Medal, Pennsylvania State University, 2014
  • New York City Library Lion, 2014
  • Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, 2015
  • Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story (Stone Mattress: Nine Tales), 2015
  • Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, 2015
  • The Royal Canadian Geographical Society Gold Medal Award for Outstanding Service to Literature and Geography, (with Graeme Gibson), 2015
  • Election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters as an Honorary Member, 2015
  • Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage, University Philosophical Society, Trinity College, Dublin, 2016
  • Kitschies Red Tentacle award for The Heart Goes Last for most progressive, intelligent and entertaining novel of the year, 2016
  • Golden Wreath Award, 2016
  • PEN Pinter Prize, 2016
  • Ivan Sandrof Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2017
  • St. Louis Literary Award 2017
  • Carl Sandburg Literary Award, 2017
  • Peace Prize, 2017
  • Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, 2017
  • PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award, 2017
  • Aurora Award, Best Graphic Novel for Angel Catbird, Volume One, 2017
  • Daughters for Life Foundation Luminary Award, 2017
  • Raymond Chandler Award, 2017
  • Academy Board of Directors’ Tribute, 2018
  • UCD Ulysses Medal, 2018
  • Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship, 2018
  • Order of the Companions of Honour, 2018
  • LARB/UCR Lifetime Achievement Award, 2019
  • VH1 Trailblazer Honoree, 2019
  • The Booker Prize for The Testaments, 2019
  • Burke Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Discourse through the Arts, 2019
  • Glamour Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award, 2019
  • Lorne Pierce Medal, 2019
  • The Center for Fiction Inaugural On Screen Award, 2019
  • Kurd LaBwitz Award, 2019
  • Emerson-Thoreau Medal, 2019
  • Stylist Icon Award, 2020
  • The Ambassador Richard C. Holbrook Distinguished Achievement Award, 2020
  • UC Santa Cruz Foundational Medal, 2020
  • British Academy’s President’s Medal, 2020

2021- :

  • Premio Lattes Grinzane, 2021
  • 2021 Forward Award, Freedom From Religion Foundation
  • Commemorative Postage Stamp issued by Canada Post, 2021
  • Artists Against Racism Humanitarian Award, 2021
  • 2021 Hitchens Prize
  • Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2021
  • Douglas H. Pimlott Award 2022
  • The Orion Barry Lopez Award for Achievements in Letters and Environment 2022
  • 21 University Students International Literary Award, 2022
  • Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic, 2024
  • 2024 SVWC Writer in the World Prize
  • The Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, 2024
  • War Child’s Changemaker Award, 2024

Honorary Degrees:

  • Trent University, 1973
  • Queen’s University, 1974
  • Concordia, 1980
  • Smith College, Mass., 1982
  • University of Toronto, 1983
  • University of Waterloo, 1985
  • University of Guelph, 1985
  • Mount Holyoke College, 1985
  • Victoria College, 1987
  • Université de Montréal, 1991
  • University of Leeds, 1994
  • McMaster University, 1996
  • Lakehead University, 1998
  • Oxford University, 1998
  • Cambridge University, 2001
  • Algoma University, 2001
  • Harvard University, 2004
  • Sorbonne Nouvelle 2005
  • Literary and Historical Society, University College Dublin 2005
  • Ontario College of Art and Design, 2009
  • National University of Ireland, 2011
  • Ryerson University, 2012
  • Royal Military College, 2012
  • Doctor Honoris Causa by the Faculty of English Language and Literature, School of Philosophy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 2013
  • Doctor of Letters, University of Edinburgh, 2014
  • Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Doctora Honoris Causa, 2017
  • University of Porto, Honoris Causa 2022
  • Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, The American College of Greece, 2023
  • Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters, University of St Andrews, 2023

 

 

Margaret Atwood