Distinguished Contribution To American Letters

The National Book Foundation began in 1991 to recognize an American each year who has “enriched our literary heritage over a life of service, or a corpus of work.” These awards are given at the awards ceremony each fall for the National Book Awards. This separate award was named the Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Winners

Year	Winner
1991	Eudora Welty
1992	James Laughlin
1993	Clifton Fadiman
1994	Gwendolyn Brooks
1995	David McCullough
1996	Toni Morrison
1997	Studs Terkel
1998	John Updike
1999	Oprah Winfrey
2000	Ray Bradbury
2001	Arthur Miller
2002	Philip Roth
2003	Stephen King
2004	Judy Blume