The Fairfax Prize

In 2003, the board of directors of Fall for the Book established the Fairfax Prize to honor outstanding writers for their lifetime achievement in fiction. Recipients of the award are noted for achievements in the following criteria:

• Writing and publishing excellent works that contribute significantly to American or international culture
• Generously giving personal time and talents to the development of literature and literary endeavors
• Mentoring younger writers, which includes but is not limited to teaching
• Giving special service to the community of writers, such as editing anthologies or journals that give opportunities for publication to other writers.

The recipient is honored at a special reading and reception during the festival, at which time he or she is given a monetary prize and the Fairfax Prize statue. The winner of the first Fairfax Prize, in 2003, was Tobias Wolff. Subsequent winners have included Joyce Carol Oates, Norman Mailer, and Mitch Albom. In 2007, the Fairfax County Public Library Foundation began sponsoring the Fairfax Prize, contributing the prize amount and helping to select the recipient. Michael Cunningham will receive this year's Fairfax Prize on Friday evening, September 26, the closing night of the 2008 Festival.