Lost track of the many literary prizes and literary dates? Just missed the announcement of the Booker or Pulitzer prize winners? Join the club! Even we struggle to keep up. Here’s a bit of help with all the important dates for the literary calendar. We’ve focused mainly on dates for the UK except some internationally significant book prizes and festivals. Please let us know in the comment field below if we missed any (which we surely have)!

January

TBC – National Book Critics Circle Awards (US) (2023)

19th – 23rd Jaipur Literature Festival (2023)

26th – 29th – Hay Festival Cartagena, Colombia (2023)

February

30th Jan  – 6th Feb – National Storytelling Week (2023)

TBC – Wellcome Book Prize long-list (paused)

14^th – International Book Giving Day (2023)

March

TBC- Booker Prize International long-list (2023)

TBC – PEN America Literary Awards (2023)

2nd – World Book Day – UK (2023)

7th – Women’s Prize for Fiction long-list (Previously known as Bailey’s Prize) (2023)

20th – 26th – Shakespeare Week (2023)

20th – World Storytelling Day (2023)

25th – 2rd April- Oxford Literary Festival (2023)

April

2^nd – International Children’s Book Day (2023)

TBC – Booker Prize International short-list (2023)

23rd – World Book Night (2023)

26th – Women’s Prize for Fiction short-list (2023)

May

2nd – International Harry Potter Day (2023)

 9th – The Pulitzer Prize (US) (2023)

TBC – Booker Prize International winner (2023)

25th May – 4th June – Hay Literary Festival in Hay-on-Wye (2023)

June

14th – Women’s Prize for Fiction winner (2023)

17th – 24th – Independent Bookshop Week (2023)

23rd – Everybody Writes Day (2023)

July

TBC – Booker Prize long-list (2023)

August

 13^th – 29th – Edinburgh International Book Festival (2022)

September

1st-4th – Hay Festival Mexico (2022)

13th – Baillie Gifford Prize long-list (2022)

13^th – Roald Dahl Day (every year)

6th – Booker Prize short-list  (2022)

15th -18th – Hay Festival Segovia (2022)

18th – 24th – Banned Books Week (2022)

October

Black History Month (every year)

3rd -9^th – National Libraries Week (2022)

6th – Nobel Prize for Literature (2022)

6th  – National Poetry Day (2022)

7th – 16th  – Cheltenham Literary Festival (2022)

10th – Baillie Gifford Prize short-list (2022)

17th – Booker Prize winner (2022)

19th – 23th – Frankfurt Book Fair (2022)

15th- 16th  – Cliveden Literary Festival (2022)

20th – 30th – London Literature Festival (2022)

November

3rd – Prix Goncourt (France) (2022)

17th – Baillie Gifford Prize Winner (2022)

16th – National Book Awards (US) (2022))

23rd – 27th- Hay Festival Winter Weekend (2022

December

 None

For a more comprehensive overview of all UK literary festival, click here.