Yale University has announced this year's Windham-Campbell Literature Prize winners.
The literary award recognizes nine English language writers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, and drama. Each recipient receives a $150,000 grant, making it one of the most lucrative literary awards in the world.
The Beineke Library's Mike Kelleher, director of the Windham-Campbell Literature Prizes, says one of the goals of the award is to bring attention to the talent coming out of far flung places in the English-speaking world.
"Not every country in the English-speaking world gets represented every year, but when they do get represented we try to make sure that there is a certain amount of saturation," said Kelleher. "When judges are looking at their work, they are seeing other writers from those parts of the world, and not only comparing them to each other, but also comparing them to writers from everywhere else."
This year's winners include writers from the United Kingdom, Nigeria, South Africa, and three writers from the United States: author Teju Cole, playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, and essayist John Jeremiah Sullivan.
The Windham Campbell literature prizes was established by writer Donald Windham after his death in 2010. The first prizes were awarded in 2013.