American writer Hanif Abdurraqib has been named the recipient of the 2026 Weston International Award, a prestigious accolade that comes with a $75,000 prize. This award is closely linked to the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, which is given annually to a Canadian writer for a single nonfiction work.
The Weston International Award aims to honor the overall career accomplishments of a nonfiction writer from around the world. To be eligible, international authors must have published a minimum of three books of exceptional literary quality in the nonfiction genre, written in English or widely available in translation.
Abdurraqib, a versatile artist known for his work as a poet, essayist, and cultural commentator, has gained recognition for his insightful writings on music, sports, Black culture, and social issues. Among his notable works are “There’s Always This Year,” a critically acclaimed piece on basketball, race, and American society which received the National Books Critics Circle Award. Additionally, his book “A Little Devil in America” delves into Black performance and was honored with the Carnegie Medal. He has also authored “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us,” a collection of music-infused essays. Abdurraqib has published poetry collections titled “The Crown Ain’t Worth Much” and “A Fortune for Your Disaster.”
Abdurraqib, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2021 and received the Windham-Campbell Prize in 2024. The selection of Abdurraqib as the Weston International Award winner was made by an esteemed international advisory committee and a jury from Canada. The committee included PBS arts correspondent Jeffery Brown, British Iranian author and The Guardian’s literary editor David Shariatmadari, and Nigerian author and literary festival director Lola Shoneyin. The Canadian jury members were author Dean Jobb, filmmaker Chase Joynt, writer Tess McWatt, scholar Christina Sharpe, and author Jenny Heijun Wills.
The jury praised Abdurraqib’s ability to capture the essence of Black life through various mediums such as performance, music, and sports. They commended his unique voice and his dedication to highlighting the experiences of marginalized communities. Abdurraqib’s upcoming talk at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on September 14 will provide an opportunity for audiences to engage with his career and literary contributions. Tickets for the event can be purchased through the Weston International Award website.
In the previous year, the award was presented to American writer Leslie Jamison. The Writers’ Trust of Canada, established in 1976 by literary luminaries Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laurence, and David Young, is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting and promoting Canadian writers and their work through various initiatives such as literary awards, grants, and writer development programs.