Guidelines and Application for the 2010 Thurber Prize for American Humor

Thurber House is now accepting applications for the 2010 Thurber Prize for American Humor.  Eligible books are those that were published in the United States from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009.  Applications are due Thursday, April 1, 2010.  For more information, download a copy of the guidelines and the application form below.

Click here for the PDF Application
Click here for the PDF of the Guidelines

The 2009 Thurber Prize for American Humor announced

Ian Frazier became the first two-time winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor on Monday, October 5. Frazier was the first recipient of the Thurber Prize in 1997 for Coyote vs. Acme. He won this year for his novel, Lamentations of the Father. The award reception, hosted by Alan Zweibel (2006 Thurber Prize Winner for his novel, The Other Shulman) was held in the Algonquin Hotel in New York City.

Finalists for the 2009 Thurber Prize included Sloane Crosley for her first novel, I Was Told There'd Be Cake, Don Lee's hilarious, Wrack and Ruin, and Laurie Notaro's must read, The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death.

Pictured from left to right: Host Alan Zweibel, Winner Ian Frazier,
Finalists Sloane Crosley, Don Lee, and Laurie Notaro.
Copyright Thurber House

The Thurber Prize for American Humor was first presented in 1997 to Ian Frazier for his book Coyote vs. Acme. In 1999, the prize went to the editorial staff of the satirical magazine The Onion for Our Dumb Century; in 2001, to David Sedaris, best-selling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day. In 2004, the Prize was made an annual award and was given to Christopher Buckley for his comic novel, No Way to Treat a First Lady. In 2005, it was presented to Jon Stewart, Ben Karlin and David Javerbaum for America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. Five-time Emmy winner Alan Zweibel won in 2006 for his novel, The Other Shulman, and the 2007 winner was former Frasier Executive Producer Joe Keenan for his novel, My Lucky Star. Larry Doyle took the cake, and the Prize, in 2008 for I Love You, Beth Cooper that was later adapted for a big-screen film starring Hayden Panettiere.

This program is sponsored in part by the Greater Columbus Arts Council