The Wikipedia page for literary awards lists inauguration dates for international awards, and of those the earliest of those is the Nobel Prize in 1901. However, I don't know about non-international awards, nor does the page for the Nobel Prize indicate it is the first prize in literature. Apparently the oldest prize for British literature is the James Tait Black Memorial Prize from 1919.
So, what is the oldest literary award given on a regular basis (international or not, not necessarily still running)? Was there anything before the Nobel Prize?