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The new year means a new Thurber Prize for American Humor, and Thurber House is now accepting entries for the 2013 prize. Books published in 2012 are eligible for entry.

Started in 1997, the Thurber Prize is the only recognition of the art of humor writing in the United States. Past winners have included Calvin Trillin, David Rakoff, Christopher Buckley, Ian Frazier, David Sedaris, and many others – check out the complete list of winners here.

The winner will be announced on September 30 at an event at Caroline’s Comedy Club on Broadway in New York City. Prize winners receive $5,000 and a commemorative plaque, along with an invitation to visit Columbus, Ohio (Thurber House will pay your airfare and hotel) and speak at a special ticketed event.

The judges for the 2013 prize are: Laurie Notaro, two-time Thurber Prize finalist; Nate DiMeo, 2012 Thurber Prize finalist; and Lisa Birnbach, co-author of The Official Preppy Handbook and True Prep: It’s a Whole New Old World.

Entries are due by Monday, April 1, 2013. More information, guidelines, and the prize application are available on our website.

Nearly a year has flown by since we awarded Steve Hely the Thurber Prize for American Humor for his hilarious novel, How I Became a Famous Novelist, and we’re excited to announce this year’s prize finalists!

They are:

Mike Birbiglia – Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories

David Rakoff – Half Empty

Rick Reilly – Sports from Hell: My Search for the World’s Dumbest Competition

If you’re not familiar with the Thurber Prize for American Humor, here’s a little bit about it: The Thurber Prize for American Humor is the only recognition of humor writing in the United States. It began in 1997 as a biennial award, and then it became an annual award in 2004. Each year, the winner is announced at a special event at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City (where James Thurber used to live). The Thurber Humor Prize comes with a monetary award for the winner, who comes to Columbus for a ticketed event within a year of winning the award.

Past winners have included Ian Frazier, The Onion, David Sedaris, Christopher Buckley, Jon Stewart, Alan Zweibel, Joe Keenan, Larry Doyle, and Steve Hely.

This year the Thurber Humor Prize event is Monday, October 3. Stay tuned to find out who won!

The 2010 Thurber Prize for American Humor was awarded Monday, October 4 to Steve Hely for his debut novel, How I Became a Famous Novelist. The award was presented at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City.

Hely, a Boston native and graduate from Harvard University, is a comedy writer for the NBC series The Office. He has also written for 30 Rock, The Late Show With David Letterman, and the animated comedy American Dad.

Finalists for the 2010 Thurber Prize for American Humor were Jancee Dunn, Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo, and Rhoda Janzen, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.