Past award winners include Alice Walker, Terry Kay, Ha Jin, Philip Lee Williams, Ferrol Sams, Kathryn Stockett, Mary Hood, and Judson Mitcham, among others.
The Prize was started in 1981 to honor the legacy of Jim Townsend, founding editor of Atlanta magazine—the model of the modern city magazine—and mentor to a generation of iconic Southern writers like Pat Conroy and Anne Rivers Siddons.
The AWC was founded in 1914 as a social and educational organization to teach the craft and business of writing, support local writers, and advance the cause of literature and literacy in the Southeast.
A reading committee composed of members of the Georgia literary community considers all eligible books and determines a list of ten finalists.
The ceremony is intended to honor the Townsend Prize recipient, recognize the accomplishments of the other nine finalists, and celebrate the rich literary history of the state of Georgia.