The novel was highly praised, but the author was overlooked for the literary prize.

overlooked 是动词 overlook 的过去分词形式，over- 表示"过度、超过"，look 表示"看"，合起来字面意思是"看过头了"，引申为"忽视、忽略"。在句中表示被动含义，指"被忽视"。