The Island of Missing Trees shortlisted for British Book Awards, 2023
The Island of Missing Trees, shortlisted for Women’s Prize For Fiction, 2022
The Island of Missing Trees, shortlisted for Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, 2022
The Island of Missing Trees, shortlisted for Costa Novel Award, 2021
Patron of Human Rights Watch Book Club
Halldór Laxness International Literature Prize, 2021
The Island of Missing Trees is a Reese's Book Club choice
Bard College Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, 2021
Fellow and Vice-President of the Royal Society of Literature
PEN Nabokov Prize judge, 2020
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, shortlisted for RSL Ondaatje Prize, 2020
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing judge, 2020
Honour is among the 40 best books of the decade, Independent, 2019
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World is one of The Economist's best books of the year, 2019
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, The Blackwell’s Book of the Year, 2019
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, shortlisted for Booker Prize, 2019
The Forty Rules of Love is at the BBC’s list of 100 Novels That Shaped Our World
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World is among 50 recommended novels by The Times , 2019
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, is among the NPR’s favourite books , 2019
Chair of the Wellcome Book Prize 2019 judging panel.
Honorary Fellow at St. Anne’s College, Oxford University.
Patron of National Centre For Writing in Norwich, UNESCO City of Literature
Weidenfeld Visiting Professor in Comparative European Literature at Oxford
Berggruen Prize Juror for Philosophy & Culture
Judge for The Goldsmiths Prize 2018
Future Library Author 2017, Oslo, Norway
Caravan Award for Peacebuilding Through the Arts, 2017
Prize for Tolerance in Thinking and Acting, Prize of Honour of the Austrian Booksellers, 2017
Judge for The Sunday Times/Peters Fraser & Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award, 2017
Member of Berggruen Prize Award Committee
WOW committee member
Lahore Literary Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016
Granted the Seal of the City and Certificate of Commendation by the City of Milan, 2016
2016 GTF Award for Excellence in Promoting Gender Equality
Judge for 2017 Man Booker International Prize
Judge for FT/Oppenheimer Funds Emerging Voices Awards, 2016
Judge for the 2016 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction
Cultural Leader; Member of Weforum Global Agenda Council on Creative Economy, Davos 2016
Judge for the 10th Women of the Future Awards, 2015
Judge for FT/Oppenheimer Funds Emerging Voices Awards, 2015
Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2015: Global Empowerment Award
The Architect's Apprentice, shortlisted for RSL Ondaatje Prize, 2015
The Architect's Apprentice, longlisted for Walter Scott Historical Novel Prize, 2015
Judge for Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards, 2015
Board Member of Free Word Centre, which promotes literacy, literature and freedom of expression
Member of English PEN
Cultural ambassador for The Ottoman Orient in Renaissance Art/ BOZAR
Member of the judging panel for the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award two consecutive years (2014, 2015)
Cultural Leader; Member of Weforum Global Agenda Council on Creative Economy, Davos 2014
Member of the Folio Academy
Women To Watch Award, March 2014, Mediacat & Advertising Age
Honour (Crime d’honneur, Phébus), Prix du livre Lorientales 2014
Honour (Crime d’honneur, Phébus) le prix Escapades, 2014
Honour, Nominated (longlisted) for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, 2013
Turkish American Society Young Society Leader, 2013
Honour (Crime d’honneur, Phébus), 2013 Prix Relay des voyageurs, France 2013
Honour, Longlisted for Women’s Prize for Fiction, 2013
Member of Weforum Global Agenda Council on The Role of Arts in Society
Member of the 2013 judging panel for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.
Honour, Longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize, 2012
The Forty Rules of Love, Nominated (longlisted) for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, 2012
The Forty Rules of Love (Soufi, mon amour, Phébus), Prix ALEF - Mention Spéciale Littérature Etrangère, France 2011
Marka 2010 Award, Turkey
Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, France, 2010
Twice TED Global speaker
Ambassador of Culture Action Europe Campaign, 2010
Special Envoy, EU-Turkey Cultural Bridges Programme, 2010
Turkish Journalists and Writers Foundation "The Art of Coexistence Award-2009"
International Rising Talent, Women's Forum - Deauville, France 2009
The Bastard of Istanbul, Longlisted for Orange Prize for Fiction, London 2008
Founding member of ECFR (European Council on Foreign Relations)
The Gaze, Longlisted for Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, United Kingdom 2007
Maria Grazia Cutuli Award - International Journalism Prize, Italy 2006
The Flea Palace, Shortlisted for Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, United Kingdom 2005
The Gaze, Union of Turkish Writers' Best Novel Prize, 2000
Pinhan, The Great Rumi Award, Turkey 1998
