January 4, 2024, 3:01pm
Today, the Robert B. Silvers Foundation announced the recipients of the third annual Silvers-Dudley Prizes, which recognize “outstanding achievement in literary criticism, arts writing, and journalism.” The six winners will receive a total of $135,000—with individual prizes ranging from $15,000 to $30,000. The judges for the 2024 Silvers-Dudley Prizes were the poet Ange Mlinko, the writer Hari Kunzru, and Christopher Carroll, the editor of Harper’s magazine.
“The Silvers Foundation is delighted once again to award these prizes, among the richest such awards for nonfiction writing, to outstanding practitioners of the genres that Bob so assiduously nurtured at the New York Review,” said Daniel Mendelsohn, Director of the Foundation, in a press release. “In rewarding these six brilliant and original critics and journalists, we honor not only their work but Bob’s wish, as expressed in his will, to “support writers”–in this case, by spotlighting the critical and journalistic work being done by both established practitioners of the craft and by writers who making their mark more recently. We know that Bob and Grace–herself a passionate enthusiast of the visual and performing arts–would be as thrilled as we are to see these six writers honored.”
Here are this year’s winners:
The 2024 Robert B. Silvers Prizes for Literary Criticism
Recognizing achievement in long-form literary criticism and the intellectual and cultural essay
Marina Warner
Jennifer Wilson
The 2024 Grace Dudley Prizes for Arts Writing
Recognizing achievement in critical writing on the fine and performing arts or on cultural history
Svetlana Alpers
Harmony Holiday
The 2024 Robert B. Silvers Prizes for Journalism
Recognizing achievement in reporting, long-form political analysis, or commentary
Fintan O’Toole
Krithika Varagur