The 2020 Short List

We’re thrilled to announce our jury’s selections for this year’s Short List.

These nine books were chosen from 54 eligible submissions that addressed topics ranging from the time of enslavement in the US in the 1600s to the establishment of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016, from a slave revolt in the 1700s to Black Lives Matter in the present day, from Black cowboys in the West, to (the myth of) Black confederates in the South, to Brooklyn’s own Jay-Z in the East.

For the full list of 54 phenomenal submissions click here (PDF).

And be sure to join us at our virtual award event on October 15, 2020 when the winning author will receive a cash prize of $25,000 and two finalists will receive $5,000 each.