Which award did J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings win in 1957?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings won the International Fantasy Award in 1957.

The award recognized the work as a notable contribution to fantasy literature. The Lord of the Rings had been published in three volumes between 1954 and 1955, and its reputation continued to grow after publication despite mixed early reactions from some reviewers.

The International Fantasy Award should not be confused with the Hugo Awards or the World Fantasy Awards. The Hugo Awards began in 1953, while the World Fantasy Awards were first presented in 1975, after Tolkien’s major novels had already become widely influential.

The 1957 recognition was an important early literary honor for Tolkien and helped confirm that fantasy could receive serious attention beyond children’s publishing.