American writer Hanif Abdurraqib has been awarded the 2026 Weston International Award, which comes with a prize of $75,000. This accolade complements the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, an annual award given to a Canadian writer for a singular work of nonfiction. The Weston International Award acknowledges the lifetime accomplishments of an international writer in the field of nonfiction. Eligible international writers must have produced at least three exceptionally literary nonfiction books in English or widely available translations.
Abdurraqib, a poet, essayist, and cultural critic, is renowned for his insightful writings on music, sports, Black culture, and social justice. His notable works include “There’s Always This Year,” focusing on basketball, race, and America, which earned him the National Books Critics Circle Award. He also penned “A Little Devil in America,” exploring Black performance and honored with 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, received the MacArthur Fellowship in 2021 and the Windham-Campbell Prize in 2024.
The selection of Abdurraqib as the Weston International Award recipient was made by an international advisory committee and a Canadian jury. The committee comprised PBS arts correspondent Jeffery Brown, British Iranian author and Guardian 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.
In a press statement, the jury praised Abdurraqib’s ability to capture the essence of Black life through performance, music, and athleticism, emphasizing his unique and powerful voice. Abdurraqib’s work delves into themes of love, belonging, social inequality, and the African American experience in the United States, showcasing a deep connection to people and places. His upcoming talk at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on September 14 will provide insights into his career and literary contributions.
The Writers’ Trust of Canada, a charitable organization founded in 1976 by notable writers including Margaret Atwood and Pierre Berton, aims to support and celebrate Canadian writers through various initiatives, including literary awards, grants, and career development programs. Last year’s recipient of the Weston International Award was American author Leslie Jamison.
Tickets for Abdurraqib’s talk in Toronto can be found on the Weston International Award website.