Spur Awards are literary prizes given annually by the Western Writers of America (WWA). The purpose of the Spur Awards is to honor writers for distinguished writing about the American West. The Spur Awards began in 1953, the same year the WWA was founded. An author need not be a member of the WWA to receive a Spur Award. Among previous Spur Award winners are Larry McMurtry for Lonesome Dove , Michael Blake for Dances with Wolves , Glendon Swarthout for The Shootist , and Tony Hillerman for Skinwalkers .
3-582: The Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement in Western literature , first awarded in 1961, is also a Western Writers of America award, distinct from the Spur Awards. Initially, there were five Spur Awards categories: western novel, historical novel, juvenile, short story, and reviewer. The categories have expanded and changed (or been renamed) over the years. There is no guarantee an award will be made in each category every year. The 2015 Spur Awards have
6-649: Is given for "Outstanding Contributions to the American West". Originally given for "best book of the year", it was expanded in 1967 to include anyone advancing Western literature. From 1961 to 1990 it was called the Saddleman Award (sculptor Spero Anargyros; polished bronze statuette of a cowboy in Levi’s, saddle slung over his right shoulder, branding iron in his left hand ) and sponsored by Levi Strauss & Co. After Levi Strauss dropped its sponsorship,
9-524: The following categories: This article about a literary award is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about American literature is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Owen Wister Award Owen Wister Award is an annual award from the Western Writers of America given to lifelong contributions to the field of Western literature . Named for writer Owen Wister ( The Virginian ; 1902), it
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