Submission Guidelines and Procedures of Awards Competition 

The Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation is proud to host the annual Hurston/Wright Awards for College Writers, which is the only award of its kind that recognizes Black college writers. The award is the foundation’s first program. It was initiated to support emerging Black artists in fiction and poetry enrolled full-time in an undergraduate or graduate school program anywhere in the United States. The deadline for submission is April 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm.

Submissions are judged by distinguished published authors in fiction and poetry who are not employees of the Hurston/Wright Foundation. Selected finalists will be notified in late June 2026. Only finalists will be notified.

There is a $1000 prize for the winner in each category. Also, award winners will be invited to attend a summer workshop of their choice for free, as well as attend the Legacy Award ceremony that is hosted in October in Washington, DC.

Requirements 

• Black writers who are full-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs at a college or university      in the United States are eligible to submit a work of fiction or poetry.  They must be enrolled at the time of submission. 
• Writers who have published books, including poetry chapbooks or fiction narratives, through any publishing platform, are not eligible. Note: Writers are still eligible if they have published pieces that are not books. 
• All work submitted must be original and unpublished at the time of submission. Hurston/Wright does not accept simultaneous submissions.
• Author name and contact information should not appear on the submission. 
• Winning works may be published in whole or in part by Hurston/Wright online or print. Your submission gives      the Hurston/Wright Foundation permission to publish an excerpt or the entire work. The author retains all rights.
• Hurston/Wright maintains the right to decline any submission not deemed eligible.

Format Guidelines The original creative work submitted should be formatted as follows: 

Fiction:

• No more than 20 pages of fiction, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, and within 1-inch margins.
• Put title of the work on each page of the submission.
• Do not put the author’s name on the pages of the work. Provide a separate page with the title of the work, name and contact information of author, school and year of study. 

Poetry:

• Maximum of 3 poems. 
• The submission must total at least 120 lines or more.
• Do not include the author’s name on the pages of poetry. Provide a separate page with the title of the work, name and contact information of author, school and year of study. 

Questions may be sent to info@hurstonwright.org 

No phone calls or mailed inquiries.

Crossover Award

The Hurston/Wright Crossover Award, sponsored by ESPN’s Andscape, honors probing, provocative, and original new voices in literary nonfiction. Named after the most common dribbling move in basketball, the Crossover Award, aims to highlight an unconventional winner who writes across genres and can effectively crossover between writing styles and techniques. The name also speaks to the potential of the award winner to transition from obscurity to the spotlight. This award will celebrate one writer who contributes a unique perspective to the literary nonfiction landscape. Deadline for submissions is Feb. 6, 2026.

The winner of the award, which includes a cash prize, will be announced during the 25th Annual Legacy Awards Ceremony in October 2026. 

ELIGIBILITY: 

• Unpublished, Black writers who are 18 years and older are eligible.
• Writers who have published books, including poetry books or fiction narratives, through any publishing platform, are not eligible. 
• Writers who currently work for the Hurston/Wright Foundation or are related to current employees or board members of the Hurston/Wright Foundation are ineligible.
• All work submitted must be original and unpublished at the time of submission. Hurston/Wright does not accept simultaneous submissions. 
• Submissions must be works of literary nonfiction. 
• Essays should explore and illuminate the various intersections of culture and society through innovative storytelling, original reporting and/or provocative commentary. 
• Submissions may be stand-alone essays or excerpts from a book in progress. 

APPLICATION GUIDELINES: 

• No more than 20 pages double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, and within 1-inch margins. 
• Put title of the work on each page of the submission. 
• Do not put the author’s name on the pages of the work. All submissions will be screened and judged anonymously. 
• Author name and contact information should not appear on the submission. All submissions will be judged anonymously by a distinguished published author of literary nonfiction. 
• Winning works may be published in whole or in part by Hurston/Wright online or in print. Your submission gives the Hurston/Wright Foundation and our sponsor, ESPN, permission to publish an excerpt or the entire work. The author retains all rights. 
• Hurston/Wright maintains the right to decline any submission not deemed eligible. 

AWARD 

• $2000 to one recipient 
• Tuition-free attendance for an upcoming Hurston/Wright summer writer’s workshop 
• Complimentary ticket to the annual Legacy Awards Ceremony in October 2026

Questions may be sent to info@hurstonwright.org