| Year | Winner | Nominated |
| 1988 | Dorothy Allison, |
- Rita Mae Brown, Bingo
- Jan Clausen, The Prosperine Papers
- Camarin Grae, The Secret in the Bird
- Sarah Schulman, After Delores
|
| 1989 | Nisa Donnelly, The Bar Stories: A Novel After All | Valerie Miner, Trespassing and Other StoriesJane Rule, After the FireMay Sarton, Education of Harriet HatfieldShay Youngblood, The Big Mama Stories |
| 1990 | Paula Martinac, Out of Time | Jane DeLynn, Don Juan in the VillageMelanie Kaye/Kantrowitz, My Jewish FaceAnna Livia, Incidents Involving MirthSarah Schulman, People in Trouble |
| 1991 | Blanche McCrary Boyd, The Revolution of Little Girls
Jewelle Gomez, The Gilda Stories | Anna Livia, MinimaxJudith McDaniel, Just Say YesDiane Salvatore, Benediction |
| 1992 | Judith Katz, Running Fiercely Toward a High Thin Sound | Carol Anshaw, AquamarineMadelyn Arnold, On Ships at SeaRebecca Brown, Terrible GirlsSarah Schulman, Empathy |
| 1993 | Jeanette Winterson, Written on the Body | Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch BluesJenifer Levin, Sea of LightPaula Martinac, Home MoviesJoan Nestle and Naomi Holoch, Women on Women 2 |
| 1994 | Rebecca Brown, The Gifts of the Body | Emma Donoghue, Sir FryEllen Galford, The Dyke and the DybbukHeather Lewis, House RulesEileen Myles, Chelsea Girls |
| 1995 | Jacqueline Woodson, Autobiography of a Family Photo | Lucy Jane Bledsoe, SweatLouise Blum, AmnestyStephanie Grant, Passion of AliceSarah Schulman, Rat Bohemia |
| 1996 | Achy Obejas, Memory Mambo | Carol Anshaw, Seven MovesSarah Van Arsdale, Toward AmnesiaRebecca Brown, What Keeps Me HereBarbara Wilson, If You Had a Family |
| 1997 | Elana Dykewomon, Beyond the Pale | Persimmon Blackbridge, Prozac HighwayBlanche McCrary Boyd, Terminal VelocityFrankie Hucklenbroich, A Crystal DiaryRuthann Robson, A/K/A |
| 1998 | Dorothy Allison, Cavedweller | Sharon Bridgforth, the bull-jean storiesRebecca Brown, The DogsErika Lopez, They Call Me Mad DogSarah Schulman, Shimmer |
| 1999 | Sarah Waters, Tipping the Velvet | Anna Livia, Bruised FruitTerri de la Pena, FaultsElizabeth Stark, Shy GirlBarbara Wilson, Salt Water and Other Stories |
| 2000 | Michelle Tea, Valencia | Stacey D'Erasmo, TeaSarah Waters, AffinityJeanette Winterson, The PowerbookShay Youngblood, Black Girl in Paris |
| 2001 | Achy Obejas, Days of Awe | Sylvia Brownrigg, Pages for YouAlexandra Grilikhes, Yin FireErika Lopez, Hoochie Mama: The Other White MeatAnn Wadsworth, Light, Coming Back |
| 2002 | Sarah Waters, Fingersmith | Carol Anshaw, Lucky in the CornerLynn Breedlove, GodspeedNicola Griffith, StayLydia Kwa, This Place Called Absence |
| 2003 | Nina Revoyr, Southland | Lucy Jane Bledsoe, This Wild SilenceSusan J. Leonardi, And Then They Were NunsAnn-Marie MacDonald, The Way the Crow FliesCarla Trujillo, What Night Brings |
| 2004 | Stacey D'Erasmo, A Seahorse Year | Emma Donoghue, Life MaskMaggie Dubris, SkelsValerie Miner, Abundant LightSusan Stinson, Venus of Chalk |
| 2005 | Abha Dawesar, Babyji | Helen Humphreys, Wild DogsLauren Sanders, With or Without YouKaren X. Tulchinsky, The Five Books of Moses LapinskyJeanette Winterson, Lighthousekeeping |
| 2006 | Sarah Waters, The Night Watch | J. D. Glass, Punk Like MeLeslie Larson, SlipstreamSheila Ortiz Taylor, OutrageousMichelle Tea, Rose of No Man's Land |
| 2007 | Ali Liebegott, The IHOP Papers | Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Biting the AppleMari SanGiovanni, Greetings from JamaicaSarah Schulman, The ChildJulia Watts, The Kind of Girl I AmJess Wells, The Mandrake Broom |
| 2008 | Emma Donoghue, The Sealed Letter
Chandra Mayor, All the Pretty Girls | Ivan Coyote, The Slow FixStephanie Grant, Map of IrelandRuth Perkinson, Breaking Spirit Bridge |
| 2009 | Jill Malone, A Field Guide to Deception | Elana Dykewomon, RiskNairne Holtz, This One's Going to Last ForeverJennifer McMahon, DismantledEmma Pérez, Forgetting the Alamo, or, Blood Memory |
| 2010 | Eileen Myles, Inferno | Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Big Bang SymphonyCarol Guess, HomeschoolingZelda Lockhart, Fifth Born II: The Hundredth TurtleZoe Whittall, Holding Still for as Long as Possible |
| 2011 | Farzana Doctor, Six Metres of Pavement | Shannon Cain, The Necessity of Certain BehaviorsKristyn Dunnion, The Dirt ChroniclesHillary Jordan, When She WokeNina Revoyr, Wingshooters |
| 2012 | Thrity Umrigar, The World We Found | Carol Anshaw, Carry the OneEllis Avery, The Last NudeJesse Blackadder, The Raven's HeartCatherine Jones, Wonder GirlsB. K. Loren, Theft |
| 2013 | Chinelo Okparanta, Happiness, Like Water | e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Fat AngieT. Greenwood, Bodies of WaterChristiana Harrell, CreamWally Lamb, We Are WaterAli Liebegott, Cha-Ching!Jean Ryan, Survival SkillsJeanette Winterson, The Daylight GateChavisa Woods, The Albino AlbumKate Worsley, She Rises |
| 2014 | Alexis De Veaux, Yabo | Ann-Marie MacDonald, Adult OnsetQiu Miaojin, Last Words of MontmartreFrancine Prose, Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932M. B. Caschetta, Miracle GirlsShelly Oria, New York 1, Tel Aviv 0Brandy T. Wilson, The Palace BluesSarah Waters, The Paying Guests |
| 2015 | Chinelo Okparanta, Under the Udala Trees | Virginie Despentes, Apocalypse BabyMecca Jamilah Sullivan, Blue Talk and LoveTiya Miles, The Cherokee RoseMiranda July, The First Bad ManLaShonda Katrice Barnett, Jam on the VineDebra Busman, Like a WomanViolette Leduc, Thérèse and Isabelle |
| 2016 | Nicole Dennis-Benn, Here Comes the Sun | Kathy Anderson, Bull & Other StoriesLynda A. Archer, Tears in the GrassLucy Jane Bledsoe, A Thin Bright LineM. B. Caschetta, Pretend I'm Your FriendLynn C. Miller, The Day After DeathCathleen Schine, They May Not Mean To, But They DoJacqueline Woodson, Another Brooklyn |
| 2017 | Carmen Maria Machado, Her Body and Other Parties | Roxane Gay, Difficult WomenS. J. Sindu, Marriage of a Thousand LiesAnne Garréta, Not One DayLeona Beasley, Something Better than HomeChavisa Woods, Things to Do When You're Goth in the CountryAriel Gore, We Were WitchesPatricia A. Smith, The Year of Needy Girls |
| 2018 | Larissa Lai, The Tiger Flu | Lucy Jane Bledsoe, The Evolution of LoveNona Caspers, The Fifth WomanAmber Dawn, Sodom Road ExitGenevieve Hudson, Pretend We Live HereTrifonia Melibea Obono, La Bastarda Sarah Schulman, Maggie TerryKrystal A. Smith, Two Moons |
| 2019 | Nicole Dennis-Benn, Patsy | Kristen Arnett, Mostly Dead ThingsBeth Brant, A Generous Spirit: Selected Work by Beth Brant Carolina de Robertas, CantorasMadeline Ffitch, Stay and FightShannon Pufahl, On Swift HorsesMathangi Subramanian, A People's History of HeavenJacqueline Woodson, Red at the Bone |
