Anisfield-Wolf Book Award – Fiction · 2025 · Winner
Colored Television
Danzy SennaColored Television by Danzy Senna won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction in 2025.
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award – Fiction
2025 Winner
Complete History
2020s
About the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award – Fiction
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction is one of the oldest and most distinguished awards in American letters for books that contribute to the understanding of racism and the promotion of human dignity. Founded in 1935 by poet and philanthropist Edith Anisfield Wolf and administered since 1963 by the Cleveland Foundation, the award recognises fiction that seriously and insightfully engages with issues of racial justice, cultural identity, discrimination, and the full spectrum of human diversity. The prize has a remarkable track record of recognising landmark works: past fiction winners include Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Martin Luther King Jr. (for nonfiction), and in recent decades Colson Whitehead, Jesmyn Ward, Tommy Orange, Percival Everett, Marlon James, and Danzy Senna. The award is determined each year by a distinguished jury that has included Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners. Multiple fiction titles may be honoured in a single year. The prize carries a cash award of $10,000 per winner and is presented at a ceremony in Cleveland each autumn. Because of its specific mandate to address racial justice and human dignity, the Anisfield-Wolf Award occupies a unique position in the literary prize landscape, consistently recognising writers who bring marginalized histories and perspectives to the center of American literary culture. It is widely regarded as one of the most meaningful honours available to fiction writers addressing issues of race and identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
- The award specifically recognises books—fiction and nonfiction—that contribute to the understanding of racism and advance appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures.
- The award was established in 1935 by Edith Anisfield Wolf, a poet and philanthropist from Cleveland, Ohio. Since 1963 it has been administered by the Cleveland Foundation.
- Yes. The jury may honour more than one fiction title in a given year if multiple works are deemed exceptional.
- The jury is composed of distinguished scholars and writers. Past jury members have included Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and leading figures in American literary and intellectual life.
- Yes. Each winner receives $10,000. In years where multiple titles win, each recipient receives the full $10,000 award.
- Yes. Works of fiction published in English, including translated works, are eligible provided they engage meaningfully with the themes of racism, human dignity, and cultural diversity.
- The award has been given since 1936 (for books published in 1935), making it one of the longest-running literary prizes in the United States, now approaching its 90th anniversary.