American writer Hanif Abdurraqib has been honored with the 2026 Weston International Award, a prestigious accolade accompanied by a $75,000 prize. This award complements the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, an annual recognition bestowed upon a Canadian author for a singular work of nonfiction.
The Weston International Award acknowledges the career accomplishments of an international author in the realm of nonfiction writing. To be eligible for consideration, international authors must have published a minimum of three books of exceptional literary quality in the nonfiction genre, either in English or widely available in translation.
Hanif Abdurraqib, a renowned poet, essayist, and cultural critic, is celebrated for his insightful commentary on music, sports, Black culture, and social justice issues. Among his notable works are “There’s Always This Year,” which delves into themes of basketball, race, and American society, earning him the National Books Critics Circle Award. He has also penned “A Little Devil in America,” focusing on Black performance and recipient of the Carnegie Medal, and “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us,” a collection of music-infused essays. His poetry collections include “The Crown Ain’t Worth Much” and “A Fortune for Your Disaster.”
Abdurraqib, a native of Columbus, Ohio, was honored as a MacArthur Fellow in 2021 and a recipient of the Windham-Campbell Prize in 2024. He was selected as the recipient of the Weston International Award by an international advisory committee comprising PBS arts correspondent Jeffery Brown, British Iranian author and The Guardian’s literary editor David Shariatmadari, and Nigerian author and publisher Lola Shoneyin. The Canadian jury included author and professor Dean Jobb, nonfiction writer and filmmaker Chase Joynt, author Tess McWatt, author and scholar Christina Sharpe, and author Jenny Heijun Wills.
The jury commended Abdurraqib for his unique ability to weave together narratives of Black life through the mediums of performance, music, and athletics, creating a distinct and powerful voice. They praised his work for challenging falsehoods, amplifying marginalized voices, and asserting resilience in the face of adversity. Abdurraqib will be delivering a talk at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on September 14 to discuss his career and literary contributions.
The Writers’ Trust of Canada, a charitable organization established in 1976 by literary luminaries such as Margaret Atwood and Pierre Berton, is dedicated to supporting and celebrating Canadian writers. The organization offers various initiatives, including national literary awards, financial grants, career development programs for emerging writers, and a writers’ retreat. Last year’s recipient of the Weston International Award was American author Leslie Jamison.
For more information and tickets to Abdurraqib’s upcoming talk, visit the Weston International Award website.