Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers
The Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers™ has been established by novelist Marita Golden to honor excellence in fiction writing by students of African descent enrolled full time as an undergraduate or graduate student in any college or university in the United States.
The winners will be announced in April for the writers of the best previously unpublished short story or novel excerpt.
Eligibility: At the time of submission, applicants must be enrolled in a college or university full time as an undergraduate or graduate student. Writers who have published a book in any genre are ineligible. Winners will be selected from the best previously unpublished short story or novel excerpt.
How to Apply:
• Email your double-spaced manuscript, of no more than 15 pages (of a novel) or 20 – 25 pages (of a short story) typed in a 12pt. font, along with a cover page to info@hurstonwright.org. Cover page should include:
◦ Your first and last name
◦ Address
◦ Phone Number (day and evening)
◦ Email Address
◦ Indicate whether you are submitting a Novel Excerpt or Short Story• Do not include your name on any of the manuscript pages.
• Only one story may be submitted per applicant.
• Submissions must be received by January 13, 2012.
• Include with your submission a $10 nonrefundable submission fee.
Deadline:
Submissions must be received between November 7, 2011 and January 13, 2012. The nominated winner and finalists will be required to provide a verification of college enrollment and a photo. Previous winners are not eligible.
Published Winners and Finalists of the Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers:
David Anthony Durham: Pride of Carthage, Gabriel's Story, and Walk Through Darkness, (Doubleday) also a 2002 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Winner
Tayari Jones: The Untelling and Leaving Atlanta, (Warner Books) also a 2003 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Winner
William Henry Lewis: I Got Somebody in Staunton, (Amistad); In the Arms of Elders, (Carolina Wren Press) also a 2006 PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award Finalists
Monifa Love: Dreaming Underground, (Lotus Press); Freedom in the Dismal, (Academy Chicago Publishers); My Magic Pours Secret Libations, (Florida State University, Museum of Fine Arts)
Nelly Rosario: Song of the Water Saints, (Pantheon Books)
Tracy Price-Thompson: Knockin' Boots, A Woman's Worth, (One World/Ballantine);Chocolate Sangria, (One World/Strivers Row) and Black Coffee, (Villard) also a 2005 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Winner
David Wright: Fire on the Beach, (Scribner)
2011 Award for College Writers Recipients
Winner
Thai Matthews, a native of Georgia is pursuing a degree from Wellesley College. She was selected as the winner of the Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers for her short story You Are Here.
Finalists
Raven Jackson, a native of Tennessee is pursuing a Bachelors in Corporate Communications from Austin Peay State University. She was selected as a finalist of the Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers for her short story She Grew for the Sun.
Leslie Ann Murray, a native of Trinidad and Tobago is pursuing a Masters in Creative Writing from Rutgers Newark University. She was selected as a finalist of the Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers for her short story The Scholar.
Honorable Mention
Dennis E. Norris, II, received honorable mention for his short story Shadows, Passing.
