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Hurston/Wright Foundation · award year

Hurston/Wright Legacy Award 2025

The 2025 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award went to Grown Women by Sarai Johnson (Debut Fiction), James by Percival Everett (Fiction) and Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs and This Thread of Gold: A Celebration of Black Womanhood by Catherine Joy White (Nonfiction), with winners in 1 more category. 15 books were finalists across 4 categories.

Winners

Debut Fiction

  1. Grown Women by Sarai Johnsonsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. James by Percival Everettsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. This Thread of Gold: A Celebration of Black Womanhood by Catherine Joy Whitesource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Scattered Snows, to the North by Carl Phillipssource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Debut Fiction

  1. Before The Mango Ripens by Afabwaje Kuriansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Swift River by Essie Chamberssource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Feltonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Village Weavers by Myriam J.A. Chancysource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Another Word for Love by Carvell Wallacesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Salvage by Dionne Brandsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Black Utopians by Aaron Robertsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. When Detroit Played the Numbers by Felicia B. Georgesource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Black Bell by Alison C. Rollinssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Terminal Maladies by Okwudili Nebeolisasource (opens in a new tab)

About the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award

Winners and finalists from the Foundation's Legacy Awards page (finalist lists by year plus the winners tables), read from the 13 Feb 2026 web.archive.org snapshot because the live site blocks automated requests. Year is the award year (books published the year before). Finalist lists for older years omit the winner, so winners come from the winners tables; 2025 winners come from the page's 2025 winner list, which names authors only, matched to their finalist titles. Categories follow the page: Fiction (General Fiction), Debut Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, plus Contemporary Fiction (2006), split Nonfiction categories (2022-2024), Speculative Fiction (2023-2024) and Creative Anthology (2024). Debut Fiction was not awarded 2009-2015 or 2019; Poetry was first awarded in 2007. The 2024 Creative Anthology winner, Sing a Black Girl's Song, is Ntozake Shange's work edited by Imani Perry, whom the page credits. Typos fixed: The Guyanese Wander(er), Victor La(V)alle.

Organization: Hurston/Wright Foundation. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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