The award from the PEN American Center comes two days after two gunmen opened fire at a Texas exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad, depictions that Muslims consider offensive.
Drawings of the prophet Muhammad were also at the heart of the January attack on Charlie Hebdo's Paris offices that killed 12 people. Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the weekly had insulted the Prophet with its cartoons.
PEN's decision to give the Freedom of Expression Courage Award to Charlie Hebdo prompted six prominent writers to withdraw from the event and more than 100 others to write a letter of protest, said PEN, an organization advocating on behalf of writers persecuted because of their work.
One novelist who withdrew, Rachel Kushner, said she was not comfortable with Charlie Hebdo's "cultural intolerance," PEN said
The attack has raised questions about religious tolerance and censorship in France, which has 5 million Muslims.
Police and federal agents planned security for months ahead of the Texas event on Sunday, and the two gunmen were killed after opening fire in a parking lot outside the exhibit.
PEN organizers said security would be "increased" at Tuesday's event.
A spokeswoman for the New York Police Department said there had been no immediate threats.
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