Annual Awards Benefit
Join Us for The Center for Fiction Annual Awards Benefit
Tuesday, December 9th, 2025
Cipriani 25 Broadway
In Celebration and Support of Fiction
About the Benefit
Join us for a celebration of the power of storytelling as we present this year's Lifetime of Excellence in Fiction Award, Medal for Editorial Excellence, and First Novel Prize.
Each December, the literary world comes together at The Center for Fiction Awards Benefit to celebrate and support the creation and enjoyment of the art of fiction. Please join us as we honor excellence and achievement in writing and publishing. Funds raised by the Benefit provide essential support for all of The Center's work, including transformative opportunities for emerging writers, exceptional public programming, and immersive educational experiences for public school students throughout the five boroughs, fostering a sense of community among diverse readers and writers through the art of storytelling in all its forms. We look forward to celebrating with you.
For more information about The Center for Fiction Annual Awards Benefit, please reach out to Melissa Wyse and Anne Townsend at development@centerforfiction.org.
2024 Benefit Host Committee
Host Committee Co-Chairs
Mitzi Angel
Mary Jo & Ted Shen
Host Committee
Julie Barer, Elizabeth Birkelund, Patrick Brigman, Maria B. Campbell, Rebecca Gradinger, Elizabeth Howard, Molly Stern, Agnes Ahlander Turner, Katherine Vaz & Christopher Cerf
Mitzi Angel
Mary Jo & Ted Shen
Host Committee
Julie Barer, Elizabeth Birkelund, Patrick Brigman, Maria B. Campbell, Rebecca Gradinger, Elizabeth Howard, Molly Stern, Agnes Ahlander Turner, Katherine Vaz & Christopher Cerf
Thank You to Our 2024 Benefit Supporters
Penguin Random House
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Anonymous, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Lloyd Lynford, Susan & Peter Restler, Gretchen Rubin, Mary Jo & Ted Shen, Simon & Schuster
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Gabrielle Bamberger, Danielle & David Ganek, Hawthornden Foundation, Anne Higonnet & John Geanakoplos, Alice & Dennis C. Krieger, The Alfred, Lee, Peter Mayer Foundation, Camille & Robert McDuffie, Susanna Porter & James M. Clark, Nina von Moltke, The Levy Westhead Family
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Amazon Literary Partnership, Audible, The Belden Family, Elizabeth Birkelund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Phong H. Bui, Maria B. Campbell and Associates, CHARNEY, Rebecca Gradinger and Molly Stern, Nan Graham, Hachette Book Group, Chiwoniso Kaitano & Andrew Sabl, Macmillan Publishers, Erroll McDonald & Klara Glowczewska, Celia & Henry McGee, Kate Medina, Random House, Shannon Rose Selden, UTA, Katherine Vaz, Christopher Cerf, and the Phyllis & Bennett Cerf Foundation, Dennis Williams and Warner Bros. Discovery, WME, Zando
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Anonymous, Julie Barer, The Book Group, Sayu Bhojwani, Tony Bechara, Bloomsbury Publishing, Patrick Brigman and the Family Wealth Group at Morgan Stanley, Mina Hamedi, Hudson, by Avolta, Claude Johnson, Sarah Lyall, Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents, Win McCormack, Tin House Books, Calvert D. Morgan, Jr. & Cassie Jones, Northern Trust, Eric Simonoff & Meredith Kaffel Simonoff, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
For more information about The Center for Fiction Annual Awards Benefit, please reach out to Melissa Wyse and Anne Townsend at development@centerforfiction.org.