Should I Capitalize Award Names?
Should Mario Vargas Llosa capitalize the name of his new prize?
Mignon Fogarty
Formal award names (such as “Oscar,” “Grammy,” and “Nobel Prize in Literature”) are capitalized because they are proper nouns—the name of something specific.
General award terms are not capitalized when they are used descriptively.
- Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2007.
- Doris Lessing won a literature prize.
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About the Author
Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better.