Rinehart-Iowa Fiction Award (1947)
Kenyon Review Fellowship (1953)
Honoree, Best American Short Stories (1955)
Georgia Writers Association Literary Achievement Award (1956)
O. Henry Prize (1957)
American Academy of Arts and Letters Grant (1957)
Alumnae Achievement Award, Georgia State College for Women, (1957)
Honoree, Best American Short Stories (1958)
Ford Foundation Grant (1959)
Georgia Writers Conference Literary Achievement Award (1962)
Honorary Degree, Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN (1962)
Honorary Degree, Smith College, Northampton, MA (1963)
O. Henry Prize (1963)
O. Henry Prize (1965)
National Book Award (1972)
Georgia Women of Achievement Honoree (1992)
Georgia Writers Hall of Fame (2000)