What is the Man Booker prize? And will an American ever win?

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This week's question: What is the Man Booker prize? And will an American ever win?

The Man Booker Prize is one of the most prestigious literary honors in the world: Not only does it include a $60,000 check, it also comes with international press coverage and a nearly guaranteed bump in book sales.

While the Pulitzer and the National Book Award are equally noteworthy, those competitions are limited to American authors. And, unlike the Nobel Prize in the literature, which acts more as a lifetime achievement award (and could really go to anyone at this point), the Man Booker recognizes a single book: A novel published in the last year.

That makes the Man Booker unique as a high-profile international literary prize for a singular work. But it still has its restrictions: Eligible books must be written in English and published in the U.K.

Until recently, it was even more exclusive. Only authors from the British Commonwealth were eligible until 2013.

This is only the third year Americans and other non-Commonwealth authors have been considered for the prize, and some speculate that it will be a number of years before an American wins. The move to expand eligibility was controversial — some feared Americans would come to dominate what had been a point of pride for the British. Those feelings may carry over into the decision of the six judges.

This year, two American authors made the cut for the shortlist: Paul Beatty for "The Sellout" and Ottessa Moshfegh for "Eileen." But British bookies (meaning those who collect bets, not those who love books) have the odds on Madeleine Thien's "Do Not Say We Have Nothing." Thien is Canadian.

This year's winner will be announced at a gala in London Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Central.