This year’s National Book Awards will be held in person.
Today, the National Book Foundation announced that this year’s National Book Awards Ceremony will be held in person, at Cipriani Wall Street on November 17, 2021. Proof of vaccination will be required for guests, and the ceremony will also be broadcast virtually. Alas for any and all publishing professionals eager to dance IRL, there will be no after party this year.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to gather as a book community, while still ensuring safety for in-person attendees and accessibility for at-home viewers. Communication with sponsors, publishers, writers, judges, and all attendees will be a priority,” said Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, in a statement. “Through the tremendous efforts of this year’s judging panels, we look forward to championing extraordinary writers and their work this fall. Books have always been a source of solace and joy, education and inspiration, and we cannot wait to celebrate with the book community and readers everywhere.”
The National Book Awards Finalist Reading will take place virtually on Tuesday, November 9. The 5 Under 35 Ceremony will now be held in the spring, beginning spring 2022, when it will honor two years’ worth of emerging writers.
