The Mission

The Harvardwood Literary Prize is a prestigious new international award dedicated to recognizing and rewarding the most outstanding biography in the English-speaking language each calendar year. Our goal is to bring attention and increased readership to the genre which has very few comparable awards while also bringing more readers and high visibility to the finalists and winners. It is anticipated that this recognition will result in considerable publicity and increased book sales revenue for the winner and the shortlisted authors.

Writing biographies takes years, and unless one is already a very famous author with numerous other books published who can command advances to support oneself during the research and writing, it can be an extraordinarily difficult path to success. Biography is a very popular genre, and we believe with greater awareness and visibility of the writers, their work, and their subjects, a cash prize such as the HLP award can make all the difference in the life of the author.

To quote Rachel Carson: “The aim of science is to discover and illuminate truth. And that, I take it, is the aim of literature, whether biography or history... It seems to me, then, that there can be no separate literature of science.”

About us

Harvardwood is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1999 for members of the Harvard University community who believe in the power and purpose of the arts, media and entertainment. By providing professional resources and service opportunities, Harvardwood strives to utilize the creativity and leadership of our diverse members as forces for positive social change. Harvardwood is the largest and most active Shared Interest Group officially recognized by Harvard Alumni Association, with chapters in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Washington DC, the SF/Bay Area, Chicago, London, and Toronto.

The Harvardwood Literary Prize is affiliated with Harvardwood, which has licensed the use of its name to the founder of the prize.