W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction

2023 - Winner(s)

P.T. Deutermann’s novel is based on a true story. The Last Paladin’s story follows the USS Holland, a ship summoned from hunting German U-Boats in...

2022 - Winner(s)

The Eagles Claw A novel of the Battle of Midway by Jeff Shaara, published by Ballantine Books is the winner of the 2022 W. Y...

2021 - Winner(s)

Mark Treanor’s novel is a first person account of what our service men and women face when asked to fight for this country in conflicts...

2020 - Winner(s)

"Darkness at Chancellorsville" details the military action that took place at the Battle of Chancellorsville during April 30 to May 6, 1863, when the...

2019 - Winner(s)

McPadden has written a firsthand account of the trials and tribulations of US Army Rangers, especially Sergeant Nick Burch and Private Danny Shane, fighting in...

2018 - Winner(s)

Jeff Shaara takes us back in history to the Korean War and especially the winter of 1950 when the American, UN and Republic of Korea...

2017 - Winner(s)

J. M. Graham has written a firsthand account of the trials and tribulations of three individuals, two Marines, Cpl. Raymond Strader, Squad Leader who is...

2016 - Winner(s)

"Valley of the Shadow" details the military action that took place in the Shenandoah Valley during the critical year of 1864, when the armies of...

2015 - Winner(s)

Phil Klay, a Marine veteran, has written a very compelling collection of short stories about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author’s writing takes...

2014 - Winner(s)

"Hell or Richmond" finely portrays the human side of war, along with the horrific carnage, the influence of politics, inspiring courage, glory and defeat. Drawn...

2013 - Winner(s)

"Cain at Gettysburg" is a detailed account of the events leading up to and including the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg. The author, a...

2012 - Winner(s)

Savo Island, Midway, and the Battle of Samar, three of the defining naval battles of WWII in the Pacific, will draw history buffs to this...

2011 - Winner(s)

Karl Marlantes has written a firsthand account of the trials and tribulations of Marine Second Lieutenant Waino Mellas and his comrades of Bravo Company, who...

2010 - Winner(s)

2009 - Winner(s)

It’s an excellent work that chronicles the lives of an Army patrol in Italy during the bleak winter of 1944 and details their adventures and...

2008 - Winner(s)

It’s an excellent work about the assignment of Lt. Cmdr. Peter Wake during a conflict that is little known to history, the War of the...

2007 - Winner(s)

It’s an excellent work on a critical period in the Second World War. The intrigue, the tension, and the secrecy surrounding those critical days before...

2006 - Winner(s)

An addition to the chronicles of individuals who served in the Second World War. It is a very compelling tale that enables the reader to...

2005 - Winner(s)

An epic account of modern warfare. Recent history has often overlooked the First World War and the men who fought in it. Jeff Shaara’s novel,...

2004 - Winner(s)

A triumph of imagination and good, taut writing. “Like the American Revolution, the naval action of the Civil War largely is overshadowed by the fighting...

2003 - Winner(s)

An action-filed novel with stunning breadth and depth. His excellent writing has captured the historical depiction of the vivid portrayal of wartime China during 1941...

2002 - Winner(s)

Truly a war novel for the New World Order. The book is set in Somalia during the U.S. involvement in Operation Restore Hope in 1991–1992...

2001 - Winner(s)

The author captures the reality of this brutal war and portrays the depths that men in combat can rise to or fall as they faced...

2000 - Winner(s)

With a refreshing lack of bombast or melodrama, first novelist Mort offers an insightful, affecting look at the complex personal consequences of war specifically Vietnam...

1999 - Winner(s)

Reminiscent of Cold Mountain and Gone with the Wind, a civil war saga of a Virginia plantation family fulfilling its unforgettable destiny. Widely acclaimed, with...

1998 - Winner(s)

The Black Flower is written with reverent attention to historical accuracy. The book vividly documents the fear, suffering, and intense friendships that are all present...

1997 - Winner(s)

This Shaara is the son of Michael Shaara, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning, best-selling novel about the Battle of Gettysburg, The Killer Angels (1974). This...