Do literary prizes reward excellence, or do they create it?
Literary prizes are often seen as objective markers of quality, yet the merit and standards they operate on are not universal and hence are constructed rather than discovered. Upon receiving recognition in the literary marketplace, value is gained rather than perceived. Such prizes shape perceptions of literary merit, making awards a unit of measurement for prestige rather than merely recognizing value.
Prestige as Currency: Commodification through Literary Recognition
A literary prize is more than an acknowledgment of value. It rather acts as an achievement of status and prestige that would open the doors to social and economic growth. If we view it through the lens of Pierre Bourdieu, it becomes evident how literary recognition functions as symbolic capital in the literary marketplace, creating repute and prestige, in turn enabling economic growth. It is a means of getting cultural capital. Literary recognition ends up being a source to monetization, converting prize-winning literature into a commodity. Awards increase sales and visibility, leading to translation deals, television adaptations, and more publishing opportunities. Prestige therefore operates as a currency within the literary field.
The role of association and personal branding
It becomes a marker that ensures the quality of all the author’s content, becoming part of their identity. “Prize-winning author” is stamped on the cover pages of all the work they publish, and the status they gain isn’t due to the piece of writing they produced (which is still as good as it was before it won the prize) but due to the prestige associated with the prize it won.
Readers tend to associate their worth with the prize while buying literature. Anything labeled prize-winning is seen as a quality purchase, even though a reader may dislike it, since people have different tastes. This has made literature something to be judged rather than perceived without bias.
How Awards Influence Literary Production
Authors are under pressure to win, and hence the intent behind writing a piece may be hindered. It has increasingly shifted from producing quality content to writing pieces likely to win a literary prize. Due to this influence, authors may consciously or unconsciously produce their work in accordance with themes, styles, etc., similar to those that have previously helped pieces gain recognition. This has led to conformity in writing, limiting diversity.
This makes us question whether the merits that decide who wins and what counts as worthy of literary recognition are justified. The literature that doesn’t abide by the standards set by such institutions and judges for literary prizes often goes unnoticed. This leads to conformity in terms of style, quality, and merit. Whatever the judges find unworthy becomes claimable as unworthy, and vice versa.
Literature and art are subjective, and their quality is dependent on how a reader perceives it. Hence, a mere award cannot determine whether a piece of literature is worthy, but when prizes and recognition awards put literature in boxes, their inherently subjective nature seems to be neglected.