In which year was J.K. Rowling awarded an OBE?

J.K. Rowling was awarded an OBE in 2001. The honor was announced in the United Kingdom’s New Year Honours for services to children’s literature.

OBE stands for Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Rowling received the honor after the first four Harry Potter novels had been published and the series had become an international success. Her recognition came before she was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2017.

The date is sometimes confused with later awards and appointments. Rowling received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2010, was made a Companion of Honour in 2017, and received the Freedom of the City of London in 2012. These are separate distinctions. The OBE belongs specifically to 2001, when her influence on children’s reading and literature was already widely recognized.