Joanne Rowling , known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She has won numerous accolades for her
Harry Potter book series, including general literature prizes, honours in children's literature and
speculative fiction awards. The series has garnered multiple
British Book Awards , beginning with the
Children's Book of the Year in 1997 and 1998 for the first two volumes,
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . In 2000 the third novel,
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , was nominated for an adult award – the
Whitbread Book of the Year – where it competed against a book by a
Nobel prize laureate (
Seamus Heaney 's
translation of Beowulf ) . The award body gave Rowling the children's prize instead (worth half the cash amount); some scholars view this as exposing a literary prejudice against children's books. Next followed the
World Science Fiction Convention 's 2001
Hugo Award for the fourth book,
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , and the British Book Awards' adult prize – the 2006 Book of the Year – for the sixth novel,
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince .
Rowling's early career awards include the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to children's literature in 2000, and three years later, the Spanish Prince of Asturias Award for Concord . She won the British Book Awards' Author of the Year and Outstanding Achievement prizes over the span of the Harry Potter series. Following the series' completion, Time named Rowling a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year , citing the social, moral and political inspiration she gave the Harry Potter fandom . Two years later, she was recognised as a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy ; leading magazine editors then named her the "Most Influential Woman in the UK" the following October. Later awards include the Freedom of the City of London in 2012 and for her services to literature and philanthropy, the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 2017. In 2024 Rowling stated that she had been offered a life peerage by both Labour and Conservative governments, but had declined both. She has also confirmed that she declined a damehood.
Academic bodies have bestowed multiple honours on Rowling. She has received honorary degrees from the University of Aberdeen ; the University of St Andrews ; Dartmouth College ; the University of Edinburgh ; Edinburgh Napier University ; the University of Exeter (which she attended) and Harvard University . Rowling spoke at Harvard's 2008 commencement ceremony; the same year, she also won University College Dublin 's James Joyce Award . Her other honours include fellowship of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL), the Royal Society of Edinburgh (HonFRSE) and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCPE).
Rowling's awards for film, theatre and crime fiction include the 2011 British Academy Film Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema for the Harry Potter film series, the 2017 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , and the 2021 British Book Awards' Crime and Thriller category for the fifth volume of her Cormoran Strike series.
Literature
General literature
Speculative fiction
Crime fiction
Film and theatre
Career awards
State
Academic
Rowling after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen
Popular culture
Miscellaneous
Notes
^ The Andre Norton Award was "not a Nebula" at the time Deathly Hallows won, but the rules were later changed to make it a Nebula Award category. The change is retroactive: SFWA now lists the book as winner of the Andre Norton Nebula Award.
^ Rowling accepted the award with producer David Heyman and members of the cast and crew.
^ The award body described Rowling's work as "vínculo entre continentes y generaciones [es : a link between continents and generations]" and as promoting "la imaginación como fuente de libertad al servicio del bien y la cooperación y la solidaridad entre las personas [es : imagination as a source of freedom at the service of good and cooperation and solidarity among people]".
References
^ "J. K. Rowling Awards" . Science Fiction Awards Database . Locus Science Fiction Foundation . Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022 .
^ Gibbs, Nancy (19 December 2007). "Person of the Year 2007: Runners-up: J.K. Rowling" . Time . Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2007 .
^ Keaten, Jamey (3 February 2009). "France Honors Harry Potter Author Rowling" . USA Today . Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2010 .
^ Pearse, Damien (11 October 2010). "Harry Potter Creator J.K. Rowling Named Most Influential Woman in the UK" . The Guardian . London. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2010 .
^ Simpson, Craig (20 October 2024). "JK Rowling reveals she twice turned down a peerage" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 20 October 2024 .
^ JK Rowling [@jk_rowling] (9 December 2024). "I've already turned down both a damehood and a peerage" (Tweet ) – via Twitter .
^ Pook, Sally (15 July 2000). "J K Rowling Given Honorary Degree at Her Alma Mater" . The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2020 .
^ Rowling, J. K. (5 June 2008). "The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination" . The Harvard Gazette . Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022 .
^ "Beckham Biography on 'Best Book' List". The Times . 11 March 2004. Gale A114144502 .
^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (31 March 2006). "Arts, Briefly" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022 .
^ Irvine, Lindesay (10 April 2008). "Another Honour for JK Rowling" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022 .
^ "WHSmith Children's Book of the Year: Shortlisted Titles" . The Bookseller . Archived from the original on 6 April 2009.
^ "Shortlist" . The Bookseller . Archived from the original on 29 April 2017.
^ "Best of the Nibbies at 30" . The Bookseller . Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ Waite-Taylor, Eva (13 May 2021). "British Book Awards Winners: From First-time Writers to a Teenage Activist and a Skincare Guru" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021 .
^ Wadham, Rachel L. (1998). "Recent Awards Roundup" (PDF) . Children's Book and Media Review . 19 (5). Brigham Young University : 4. ISSN 1525-4208 . Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022 .
^ Tonkin, Boyd (28 April 2000). "Book Award Judges Relent and Shortlist Harry Potter " . The Independent . Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022 .
^ "Nebula Rules [2009]" . The Nebula Awards . SFWA . January 2009. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011.
^ "Nebula Rules [2020]" . The Nebula Awards . SFWA . 15 November 2020. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021.
^ "2007 Nebula Awards" . The Nebula Awards . SFWA . Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022 .
^ Barnett, David (30 September 2015). "Australian Ghostwriter Beats Stephen King and JK Rowling to Top UK Crimewriting Award" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ Comerford, Ruth (20 May 2021). "Rowling, Banville and Griffiths Shortlisted for CWA Daggers" . The Bookseller . Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ Flood, Alison (18 April 2016). "JK Rowling's Alter Ego Robert Galbraith in Contention for Crime Novel Award" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ "100 BAFTA Moments – The Harry Potter Films Win the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award" . British Academy of Film and Television Arts . 18 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ "Harry Potter – Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Winner in 2011" . British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019 .
^ "Children's in 2011" . British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2019 .
^ "Olivier Winners 2017" . Society of London Theatre . Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ "Winners – The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards" . American Theatre Wing . Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020 .
^ "Caine Heads Birthday Honours List" . BBC News . 17 June 2000. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2022 .
^ "J.K. Rowling, creadora de Harry Potter , Príncipe de Asturias de la Concordia" [J.K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter , Concord Príncipe de Asturias]. El País (in Spanish). 10 September 2003. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022 .
^ "City Where Harry Potter Was Created Honours J.K. Rowling" . CBC News . 18 September 2008. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ "Harry Potter Author JK Rowling Gets Freedom of the City" . BBC News . 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022 .
^ "No. 61962" . The London Gazette (1st supplement). 17 June 2017. p. B25.
^ "Dartmouth College Honorary Degree Recipients" (PDF) . Dartmouth College . Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022 .
^ "Rowling Gets Honorary Degree" . AP News . 23 November 2000. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022 .
^ "University Honour for Author of the Year" . University of St. Andrews (Press release). 7 February 2000. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022 .
^ "Dr Joanne Kathleen Rowling CH, OBE, HonFRSE – The Royal Society of Edinburgh" . The Royal Society of Edinburgh . Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018 .
^ "RSL Fellows: J.K. Rowling" . Royal Society of Literature . Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2022 .
^ "JK Rowling Gets Honorary Degree" . CBBC Newsround . 8 July 2004. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022 .
^ "People: Honorary Graduates 2003/04" . University of Edinburgh . Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022 .
^ "Honorary Degree for JK Rowling" . The Guardian . 6 July 2006. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022 .
^ Cribb, David (2006). "JK Rowling Receives Honorary Degree" . Digital Spy . Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008 .
^ "College Fellows and Members Recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours" . Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh . RCPE. 30 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017 .
^ "Walters Names Rowling 'Most Fascinating' Of 2007" . Access Hollywood . Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
^ "JK Rowling Honoured With Gold Blue Peter Badge" . BBC . 20 July 2007. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ "JK Rowling Wins Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award" . The Guardian . 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019 .
^ "JK Rowling to Receive Human Rights Award" . BBC News . 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
^ Flood, Alison (28 August 2020). "JK Rowling Returns Human Rights Award to Group That Denounces Her Trans Views" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2022 .
Sources
Anatol, Giselle Liza, ed. (2003). Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays . Westport, Conn.: Praeger. ISBN 978-0-313-32067-5 . OCLC 50774592 .
Kirk, Connie Ann (2003). J.K. Rowling: A Biography . Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-32205-8 . OCLC 49991592 .
Nel, Philip (2001). J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide . New York: Continuum . ISBN 0-8264-5232-9 . OCLC 47050453 .
Pugh, Tison (2020). Harry Potter and Beyond: On J. K. Rowling's Fantasies and Other Fictions . Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press . doi :10.2307/j.ctvs09qwv . ISBN 978-1-64336-088-1 . OCLC 1142046769 . S2CID 225791872 .
Smith, Sean (2002). J.K. Rowling: A Biography . London: Arrow Books. ISBN 0-09-944542-5 . OCLC 51303518 .
Whited, Lana A., ed. (2002). The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon . Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press . ISBN 978-0-8262-6330-8 . OCLC 56424948 .