It is awarded by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States of America, with financial support from Van Cleef & Arpels.
[1] The Albertine Prize was constituted as a readers' choice award, to recognize popular works written in French and translated to English, with an American audience.
The purpose of the prize was to establish recognition for contemporary French literature, in translation in the United States.
[2][3] The Prize is awarded from the Albertine Bookstore, which was established by Antonin Baudry, then Cultural Counselor for the French Embassy, in New York.
[4][5][6] A selection committee nominates a shortlist of novels each year, and readers vote for the winner on the website of the Albertine Bookstore.