The Legacy Awards
Present
The Zoras
A new way of renewing the recognition of Black excellence in our literary world
In tribute to Zora Neal Hurston, the Foundation has renamed the awards for each category for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and debut fiction – The Zora. These awards will hereby be presented at future annual HWF Legacy Awards.
The Legacy Awards
Present
The Zoras
A new way of renewing the recognition of Black excellence in our literary world!
In tribute to Zora Neale Hurston, the Foundation has renamed the awards for each category for Fiction, Nonfiction, Debut Fiction, and Poetry – The Zora. These awards (now renamed) will be presented at future annual HWF Legacy Awards.
Submissions for Legacy 2026 ARE CLOSED. 2027 Submissions will open in October 2026.
Prospective legacy sponsor 2026
donate now!
2025 Legacy Awards Ad Book
Hurston/Wright Foundation proudly presents the 2025 Legacy Awards Ad Book, a digital companion to the ceremony honoring excellence in Black literature.
Within these pages, you’ll find tributes to our honorees, sponsors, and partners—alongside reflections that celebrate the enduring power of Black storytelling and the communities that sustain it.
2025 Legacy Awards
The Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation is proud to present the 2025 Legacy Awards finalists, celebrating the excellence of Black writers in various categories. The awards were presented during the 35th Anniversary and 25th annual Legacy Awards Gala on Friday, October 17, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Click on the finalist’s name/book titles to learn more.
Essie Chambers
Swift River (Simon & Schuster)
Carvell Wallace
Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Dionne Brand
Salvage Readings From the Wreck (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Felicia B. George
When Detroit Played the Numbers (Wayne State University Press)
Catherine Joy White
This Thread of Gold: A Celebration of Black Womanhood (Penguin Random House – Dutton)
Afabwaje Kurian
Before The Mango Ripens (Dzanc Books)
Sarai Johnson
Alison C. Rollins
Black Bell (Copper Canyon Press)
Percival Everett
Okwudili Nebeolisa
Terminal Maladies (Autumn House Press)
Yvonne Battle-Felton
Curdle Creek (Henry Holt & Co)
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Aaron Robertson
The Black Utopians (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Carl Phillips
Scattered Snows, to the North (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Voices That Inspire — In Their Own Words
Hear from past honorees, participants, and supporters about the powerful impact of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the Zora Awards.
“It was when I began to read works by Black Authors. Zora Neal Hurston/ Richard Wright among them. That, I realized that, they had fought to tell their stories. It made me realize my stories were worth the battle, too. We are in the midst of such a battle right now. Between book bans, gutted curricular and attacks on academics, journalists and artists. The fight may only get harder from here. But, the stories were are telling are worth that fight.”
N. K. JemisonNorth Star award winner
“I participated in the Hurston/Wright Foundations Nonfiction Workshop in the summer of 2014 when I was at a crossroads, trying to figure out how to write narrative/historical nonfiction for a broader audience. Wil Haygood’s tutelage helped me to make this transition and feel confident that I had what it took to succeed. I am grateful to Wil Haygood and the Hurston Wright Foundation for helping me get to where I am today.”
Edda L. Fields-Black, Ph. D.Author of COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War (Oxford University Press 2024)
Be apart of the celebration
Join us for the 35th Anniversary and the inaugural presentation of the Zora Awards—honoring excellence in Black literature.
Partner in the Power of Storytelling
Celebrate 35 years of impact—support the Zora Awards as a sponsor and make a lasting contribution to Black literature and the efforts of Black Writers.
The deadline for ads is September 26, 2025. Ads should be sent to info@hurstonwright.org.
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