:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(720x495:722x497)/James-Before-the-Mango-Ripens-Scattered-Snows-082825-c6022b7533564dfa82309dd32a19c4d6.jpg?ssl=1 "2025 Zora Awards Finalists Are Here — See the Full List (Exclusive)")
NEED TO KNOW
- The Zora Awards have announced their 2025 finalists
- The prize, named for celebrated author Zora Neale Hurston, honors Black writers across genres like fiction, nonfiction and poetry
- The awards will be announced on Oct. 17 in Washington, D.C.
The finalists for the 2025 Zora Awards are here.
PEOPLE can exclusively announce the finalists for the celebrated literary award. Presented by the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, the Zoras celebrate Black writers across various genres.
The general fiction finalists include Myriam J.A. Chancy for Village Weavers, Yvonne Battle-Felton for Curdle Creek and Percival Everett for James. Debut fiction finalists include Sarai Johnson for Grown Women, Essie Chambers for Swift River and Afabwaje Kurian for Before the Mango Ripens.
Finalists for the nonfiction category feature Catherine Joy White for This Thread of Gold: A Celebration of Black Womanhood, Felicia B. George for When Detroit Played the Numbers, Aaron Robertson for The Black Utopians, Dionne Brand for Salvage, Carvell Wallace for Another Word for Love and Alexis Pauline Gumbs for Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde.
Lastly, the poetry category includes finalists Carl Phillips for Scattered Snows, to the North, Alison C. Rollins for Black Bell and Okwudili Nebeolisa for Terminal Maladies.
In April, the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation announced they would be renaming their annual Legacy Awards to the Zora Awards. The new name is a tribute to Hurston, a trailblazing writer of the Harlem Renaissance.
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“Zora Neale Hurston’s enduring impact on the world is a testament to her extraordinary talent and tenacious spirit,” Lisandra Green, trustee for The Zora Neale Hurston Trust, said in a statement at the time.
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“Managed by her dedicated familial descendants, the Trust is committed to preserving, promoting and protecting her incredible legacy worldwide. We are absolutely thrilled to partner with the Hurston/Wright Foundation and deeply honored to have the Legacy Award renamed the ‘Zora’ in her memory.”
This year’s winners will also receive a statuette designed by Rebecca Robinson at a ceremony on Oct. 17 in Washington, D.C.
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“I’m incredibly honored to be the artist chosen to create the artwork for the Zora Awards,” Robinson says. “As a mixed-media artist, I love creating work that evokes emotion, sparks dialogue and tells a story.”
“My creative process is built on a foundation of research and a deep passion for the projects I take on. Given that Zora’s legacy is a testament to the preservation of Black history and brilliant storytelling, I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity.”
The awards were first implemented in 2002, and the 2025 Zora Awards will also coincide with the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation’s 35th anniversary this year.
