# Whiting Awards

The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama. The award is sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation and has been presented since 1985. As of 2021, winners receive US$50,000.
The nominees are chosen through a juried process, and the final winners are selected by a committee of writers, scholars, and editors, selected each year by the Foundation. Writers cannot apply for the prize themselves, and the Foundation does not accept unsolicited nominations.

## Recipients

Whiting Award winners :
| Year | Category | Author | Ref. |
| 1985 | Fiction | Howard Norman | |
| 1985 | Fiction | James Robison | |
| 1985 | Fiction | Raymond Abbott | |
| 1985 | Fiction | Stuart Dybek | |
| 1985 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Wright Morris | |
| 1985 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Austin Wright | |
| 1985 | Poetry | Douglas Crase | |
| 1985 | Poetry | James Schuyler | |
| 1985 | Poetry | Jorie Graham | |
| 1985 | Poetry | Linda Gregg | |
| 1986 | Drama | August Wilson | |
| 1986 | Fiction | Denis Johnson | |
| 1986 | Fiction | Kent Haruf | |
| 1986 | Fiction | Mona Simpson | |
| 1986 | Fiction | Padgett Powell | |
| 1986 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Darryl Pinckney | |
| 1986 | Poetry | Frank Stewart | |
| 1986 | Poetry | Hayden Carruth | |
| 1986 | Poetry | John Ash | |
| 1986 | Poetry | Ruth Stone | |
| 1987 | Drama | Reinaldo Povod | |
| 1987 | Fiction | Alice McDermott | |
| 1987 | Fiction | David Foster Wallace | |
| 1987 | Fiction | Deborah Eisenberg | |
| 1987 | Fiction | Joan Chase | |
| 1987 | Fiction | Pam Durban | |
| 1987 | Non-fiction | Gretel Ehrlich | |
| 1987 | Non-fiction | Mindy Aloff | |
| 1987 | Poetry | Mark Cox | |
| 1987 | Poetry | Michael Ryan | |
| 1988 | Fiction | Bruce Duffy | |
| 1988 | Fiction | Jonathan Franzen | |
| 1988 | Fiction | Lydia Davis | |
| 1988 | Fiction | Mary La Chapelle | |
| 1988 | Fiction | William T. Vollmann | |
| 1988 | Non-fiction | Geoffrey O'Brien | |
| 1988 | Non-fiction | Gerald Early | |
| 1988 | Poetry | Li-Young Lee | |
| 1988 | Poetry | Michael Burkard | |
| 1988 | Poetry | Sylvia Moss | |
| 1989 | Drama | Timberlake Wertenbaker | |
| 1989 | Fiction | Ellen Akins | |
| 1989 | Fiction | Marianne Wiggins | |
| 1989 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Tobias Wolff | |
| 1989 | Non-fiction | Ian Frazier | |
| 1989 | Non-fiction | Lucy Sante | |
| 1989 | Non-fiction | Natalie Kusz | |
| 1989 | Poetry | C. D. Wright | |
| 1989 | Poetry | Mary Karr | |
| 1989 | Poetry | Russell Edson | |
| 1990 | Drama | Tony Kushner | |
| 1990 | Fiction | Christopher Tilghman | |
| 1990 | Fiction | Lawrence Naumoff | |
| 1990 | Fiction | Mark Richard | |
| 1990 | Fiction | Stephen Wright | |
| 1990 | Fiction | Yannick Murphy | |
| 1990 | Non-fiction | Amy Wilentz | |
| 1990 | Non-fiction | Harriet Ritvo | |
| 1990 | Poetry | Dennis Nurkse | |
| 1990 | Poetry | Emily Hiestand | |
| 1991 | Drama | Scott McPherson | |
| 1991 | Fiction | Allegra Goodman | |
| 1991 | Fiction | Cynthia Kadohata | |
| 1991 | Fiction | John Holman | |
| 1991 | Fiction | Rebecca Goldstein | |
| 1991 | Fiction | Rick Rofihe | |
| 1991 | Fiction & Non-fiction | J Anton Shammas | |
| 1991 | Non-fiction | Stanley Crouch | |
| 1991 | Poetry | Franz Wright | |
| 1991 | Poetry | Thylias Moss | |
| 1992 | Drama | José Rivera | |
| 1992 | Drama | Keith Reddin | |
| 1992 | Drama | Suzan-Lori Parks | |
| 1992 | Fiction | Damien Wilkins | |
| 1992 | Fiction | J.S. Marcus | |
| 1992 | Fiction | R.S. Jones | |
| 1992 | Non-fiction | Eva Hoffman | |
| 1992 | Non-fiction & Poetry | Katha Pollitt | |
| 1992 | Poetry | Jane Mead | |
| 1992 | Poetry | Roger Fanning | |
| 1993 | Drama | Kevin Kling | |
| 1993 | Fiction | Dagoberto Gilb | |
| 1993 | Fiction | Janet Peery | |
| 1993 | Fiction | Jeffrey Eugenides | |
| 1993 | Fiction | Lisa Shea | |
| 1993 | Fiction | Sigrid Nunez | |
| 1993 | Poetry | Dionisio D. Martinez | |
| 1993 | Poetry | Kathleen Peirce | |
| 1993 | Poetry | Mark Levine | |
| 1993 | Poetry | Nathaniel Mackey | |
| 1994 | Fiction | Kate Wheeler | |
| 1994 | Fiction | Louis Edwards | |
| 1994 | Fiction | Mary Hood | |
| 1994 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Randall Kenan | |
| 1994 | Non-fiction | Claudia Roth Pierpont | |
| 1994 | Non-fiction | Kennedy Fraser | |
| 1994 | Non-fiction | Rosemary Mahoney | |
| 1994 | Non-fiction &Poetry | Wayne Koestenbaum | |
| 1994 | Non-fiction &Poetry | Mary Swander | |
| 1994 | Poetry | Mark Doty | |
| 1995 | Fiction | Matthew Stadler | |
| 1995 | Fiction | Melanie Sumner | |
| 1995 | Fiction | Michael Cunningham | |
| 1995 | Fiction | Reginald McKnight | |
| 1995 | Non-fiction & Poetry | Lucy Grealy | |
| 1995 | Non-fiction | André Aciman | |
| 1995 | Non-fiction | Russ Rymer | |
| 1995 | Non-fiction | Suzannah Lessard | |
| 1995 | Poetry | James McMichael | |
| 1995 | Poetry | Mary Ruefle | |
| 1996 | Fiction | A.J. Verdelle | |
| 1996 | Fiction | Anderson Ferrell | |
| 1996 | Fiction | Brian Kiteley | |
| 1996 | Fiction | Cristina García | |
| 1996 | Fiction | Judy Troy | |
| 1996 | Fiction | Molly Gloss | |
| 1996 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Chris Offutt | |
| 1996 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Patricia Storace | |
| 1996 | Poetry | Brigit Pegeen Kelly | |
| 1996 | Poetry | Elizabeth Spires | |
| 1997 | Drama | Erik Ehn | |
| 1997 | Fiction | Melanie Rae Thon | |
| 1997 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Josip Novakovich | |
| 1997 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Suketu Mehta | |
| 1997 | Non-fiction | Ellen Meloy | |
| 1997 | Non-fiction | Jo Ann Beard | |
| 1997 | Poetry | Connie Deanovich | |
| 1997 | Poetry | Forrest Gander | |
| 1997 | Poetry | Jody Gladding | |
| 1997 | Poetry | Mark Turpin | |
| 1998 | Drama | W. David Hancock | |
| 1998 | Fiction | Michael Byers | |
| 1998 | Fiction & Non-fiction | Ralph Lombreglia | |
| 1998 | Non-fiction | Anthony Walton | |
| 1998 | Non-fiction | D. J. Waldie | |
| 1998 | Poetry | Charles Harper Webb | |
| 1998 | Poetry | Daniel Hall | |
| 1998 | Poetry | Greg Williamson | |
| 1998 | Poetry | James Kimbrell | |
| 1998 | Poetry | Nancy Eimers | |
| 1999 | Drama | Naomi Iizuka | |
| 1999 | Fiction | Ben Marcus | |
| 1999 | Fiction | Ehud Havazelet | |
| 1999 | Fiction | Yxta Maya Murray | |
| 1999 | Fiction | ZZ Packer | |
| 1999 | Non-fiction | Gordon Grice | |
| 1999 | Non-fiction | Margaret Talbot | |
| 1999 | Poetry | Martha Zweig | |
| 1999 | Poetry | Michael Haskell | |
| 1999 | Poetry | Terrance Hayes | |
| 2000 | Drama | Kelly Stuart | |
| 2000 | Fiction | Colson Whitehead | |
| 2000 | Fiction | John McManus | |
| 2000 | Fiction | Lily King | |
| 2000 | Fiction | Robert Cohen | |
| 2000 | Fiction | Samantha Gillison | |
| 2000 | Non-fiction | Andrew X. Pham | |
| 2000 | Poetry & Fiction | Albert Mobilio | |
| 2000 | Poetry | Claude Wilkinson | |
| 2000 | Poetry | James Thomas Stevens | |
| 2001 | Drama | Brighde Mullins | |
| 2001 | Fiction | Akhil Sharma | |
| 2001 | Fiction | Emily Carter | |
| 2001 | Fiction | John Wray | |
| 2001 | Fiction | Matthew Klam | |
| 2001 | Fiction | Samrat Upadhyay | |
| 2001 | Non-fiction | Judy Blunt | |
| 2001 | Non-fiction | Kathleen Finneran | |
| 2001 | Poetry | Jason Sommer | |
| 2001 | Poetry | Joel Brouwer | |
| 2002 | Drama | Evan Smith | |
| 2002 | Drama | Melissa James Gibson | |
| 2002 | Fiction | Danzy Senna | |
| 2002 | Fiction | Jeffery Renard Allen | |
| 2002 | Fiction | Justin Cronin | |
| 2002 | Fiction | Kim Edwards | |
| 2002 | Fiction | Michelle Huneven | |
| 2002 | Poetry | David Gewanter | |
| 2002 | Poetry | Elizabeth Arnold | |
| 2002 | Poetry | Joshua Weiner | |
| 2003 | Drama | Sarah Ruhl | |
| 2003 | Fiction | Agymah Kamau | |
| 2003 | Fiction | Alexander Chee | |
| 2003 | Fiction | Ann Pancake | |
| 2003 | Fiction | Jess Row | |
| 2003 | Fiction | Lewis Robinson | |
| 2003 | Fiction | Courtney Angela Brkic | |
| 2003 | Non-fiction | Christopher Cokinos | |
| 2003 | Non-fiction | Trudy Dittmar | |
| 2003 | Poetry | Major Jackson | |
| 2004 | Drama | Elana Greenfield | |
| 2004 | Drama | Tracey Scott Wilson | |
| 2004 | Fiction | Daniel Alarcón | |
| 2004 | Fiction | Kirsten Bakis | |
| 2004 | Fiction | Victor LaValle | |
| 2004 | Non-fiction | Allison Glock | |
| 2004 | Non-fiction | John Jeremiah Sullivan | |
| 2004 | Poetry | A. Van Jordan | |
| 2004 | Poetry | Catherine Barnett | |
| 2004 | Poetry | Dan Chiasson | |
| 2005 | Drama | Rinne Groff | |
| 2005 | Fiction | Sarah Shun-lien Bynum | |
| 2005 | Fiction | Nell Freudenberger | |
| 2005 | Fiction | Seth Kantner | |
| 2005 | Fiction | John Keene | |
| 2005 | Poetry | John Keene | |
| 2005 | Poetry | Thomas Sayers Ellis | |
| 2005 | Poetry | Ilya Kaminsky | |
| 2005 | Poetry | Dana Levin | |
| 2005 | Poetry | Spencer Reece | |
| 2005 | Poetry | Tracy K. Smith | |
| 2006 | Drama | Bruce Norris | |
| 2006 | Drama | Stephen Adly Guirgis | |
| 2006 | Fiction | Charles D’Ambrosio | |
| 2006 | Fiction | Micheline Aharonian Marcom | |
| 2006 | Fiction | Nina Marie Martínez | |
| 2006 | Fiction | Patrick O’Keeffe | |
| 2006 | Fiction | Yiyun Li | |
| 2006 | Poetry | Sherwin Bitsui | |
| 2006 | Poetry | Suji Kwock Kim | |
| 2006 | Poetry | Tyehimba Jess | |
| 2007 | Drama | Sheila Callaghan | |
| 2007 | Drama | Tarell Alvin McCraney | |
| 2007 | Fiction | Ben Fountain | |
| 2007 | Fiction | Brad Kessler | |
| 2007 | Fiction | Dalia Sofer | |
| 2007 | Non-fiction | Carlo Rotella | |
| 2007 | Non-fiction | Jack Turner | |
| 2007 | Non-fiction | Peter Trachtenberg | |
| 2007 | Poetry | Cate Marvin | |
| 2007 | Poetry | Paul Guest | |
| 2008 | Drama | Dael Orlandersmith | |
| 2008 | Fiction | Benjamin Percy | |
| 2008 | Fiction | Laleh Khadivi | |
| 2008 | Fiction | Lysley Tenorio | |
| 2008 | Fiction | Manuel Muñoz | |
| 2008 | Fiction | Mischa Berlinski | |
| 2008 | Non-fiction | Donovan Hohn | |
| 2008 | Poetry | Douglas Kearney | |
| 2008 | Poetry | Julie Sheehan | |
| 2008 | Poetry | Rick Hilles | |
| 2009 | Drama | Rajiv Joseph | |
| 2009 | Fiction | Adam Johnson | |
| 2009 | Fiction | Nami Mun | |
| 2009 | Fiction | Salvatore Scibona | |
| 2009 | Fiction | Vu Tran | |
| 2009 | Non-fiction | Hugh Raffles | |
| 2009 | Non-fiction | Michael Meyer | |
| 2009 | Poetry | Jay Hopler | |
| 2009 | Poetry | Jericho Brown | |
| 2009 | Poetry | Joan Kane | |
| 2010 | Drama | David Adjmi | |
| 2010 | Fiction | Lydia Peelle | |
| 2010 | Fiction | Michael Dahlie | |
| 2010 | Fiction | Rattawut Lapcharoensap | |
| 2010 | Non-fiction | Amy Leach | |
| 2010 | Non-fiction | Elif Batuman | |
| 2010 | Non-fiction | Saïd Sayrafiezadeh | |
| 2010 | Poetry | Jane Springer | |
| 2010 | Poetry | L.B. Thompson | |
| 2010 | Poetry | Matt Donovan | |
| 2011 | Drama | Amy Herzog | |
| 2011 | Fiction | Daniel Orozco | |
| 2011 | Fiction | Ryan Call | |
| 2011 | Fiction | Scott Blackwood | |
| 2011 | Fiction | Teddy Wayne | |
| 2011 | Non-fiction | Paul Clemens | |
| 2011 | Poetry | Don Mee Choi | |
| 2011 | Poetry | Eduardo C. Corral | |
| 2011 | Poetry | Kerri Webster | |
| 2011 | Poetry | Shane McCrae | |
| 2012 | Drama | Danai Gurira | |
| 2012 | Drama | Meg Miroshnik | |
| 2012 | Drama | Mona Mansour | |
| 2012 | Drama | Samuel D. Hunter | |
| 2012 | Fiction | Alan Heathcock | |
| 2012 | Fiction | Anthony Marra | |
| 2012 | Fiction | Hanna Pylväinen | |
| 2012 | Non-fiction | Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts | |
| 2012 | Poetry | Atsuro Riley | |
| 2012 | Poetry | Ciaran Berry | |
| 2013 | Drama | Virginia Grise | |
| 2013 | Fiction | Amanda Coplin | |
| 2013 | Fiction | C.E. Morgan | |
| 2013 | Fiction | Hannah Dela Cruz Abrams | |
| 2013 | Fiction | Jennifer duBois | |
| 2013 | Fiction | Stephanie Powell Watts | |
| 2013 | Non-fiction | Clifford Thompson | |
| 2013 | Non-fiction | Hannah Dela Cruz Abrams | |
| 2013 | Non-fiction | Morgan Meis | |
| 2013 | Poetry | Ishion Hutchinson | |
| 2013 | Poetry | Rowan Ricardo Phillips | |
| 2014 | No Award Presented | No Award Presented | No Award Presented |
| 2015 | Drama | Lucas Hnath | |
| 2015 | Drama | Anne Washburn | |
| 2015 | Fiction | Leopoldine Core | |
| 2015 | Fiction | Dan Josefson | |
| 2015 | Fiction | Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi | |
| 2015 | Non-fiction | Elena Passarello | |
| 2015 | Poetry | Anthony Carelli | |
| 2015 | Poetry | Aracelis Girmay | |
| 2015 | Poetry | Jenny Johnson | |
| 2015 | Poetry | Roger Reeves | |
| 2016 | Drama | Madeleine George | |
| 2016 | Fiction | Mitchell S. Jackson | |
| 2016 | Fiction | Alice Sola Kim | |
| 2016 | Fiction | Catherine Lacey | |
| 2016 | Non-fiction | Brian Blanchfield | |
| 2016 | Non-fiction | J. D. Daniels | |
| 2016 | Poetry | LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs | |
| 2016 | Poetry | Safiya Sinclair | |
| 2016 | Poetry | Layli Long Soldier | |
| 2016 | Poetry | Ocean Vuong | |
| 2017 | Drama | Clare Barron | |
| 2017 | Drama | Clarence Coo | |
| 2017 | Drama | James Ijames | |
| 2017 | Fiction | Jen Beagin | |
| 2017 | Fiction | Kaitlyn Greenidge | |
| 2017 | Fiction | Lisa Halliday | |
| 2017 | Fiction | Tony Tulathimutte | |
| 2017 | Non-fiction | Francisco Cantú | |
| 2017 | Poetry | Simone White | |
| 2017 | Poetry | Phillip B. Williams | |
| 2018 | Drama | Nathan Alan Davis | |
| 2018 | Drama | Hansol Jung | |
| 2018 | Drama | Antoinette Nwandu | |
| 2018 | Fiction | Brontez Purnell | |
| 2018 | Fiction | Patrick Cottrell | |
| 2018 | Non-fiction | Anne Boyer | |
| 2018 | Non-fiction | Esmé Weijun Wang | |
| 2018 | Non-fiction | Weike Wang | |
| 2018 | Poetry | Anne Boyer | |
| 2018 | Poetry | Rickey Laurentiis | |
| 2018 | Poetry | Tommy Pico | |
| 2019 | Drama | Lauren Yee | |
| 2019 | Drama | Michael R. Jackson | |
| 2019 | Fiction | Hernan Diaz (writer) | |
| 2019 | Fiction | Merritt Tierce | |
| 2019 | Fiction | Nafissa Thompson-Spires | |
| 2019 | Non-fiction | Nadia Owusu | |
| 2019 | Non-fiction | Terese Marie Mailhot | |
| 2019 | Poetry | Kayleb Rae Candrilli | |
| 2019 | Poetry | Tyree Daye | |
| 2019 | Poetry | Vanessa Angélica Villarreal | |
| 2020 | Drama | Will Arbery | |
| 2020 | Fiction | Andrea Lawlor | |
| 2020 | Fiction | Genevieve Sly Crane | |
| 2020 | Fiction | Ling Ma | |
| 2020 | Non-fiction | Jaquira Díaz | |
| 2020 | Non-fiction | Jia Tolentino | |
| 2020 | Poetry | Aria Aber | |
| 2020 | Poetry | Diannely Antigua | |
| 2020 | Poetry | Genya Turovskaya | |
| 2020 | Poetry | Jake Skeets | |
| 2021 | Drama | Jordan E. Cooper | |
| 2021 | Drama | Donnetta Lavinia Grays | |
| 2021 | Drama | Sylvia Khoury | |
| 2021 | Fiction | Steven Dunn | |
| 2021 | Fiction | Tope Folarin | |
| 2021 | Non-fiction | Sarah Stewart Johnson | |
| 2021 | Poetry | Joshua Bennett | |
| 2021 | Poetry | Marwa Helal | |
| 2021 | Poetry | Ladan Osman | |
| 2021 | Poetry | Xan Phillips | |
| 2022 | Fiction | Claire Boyles | |
| 2022 | Fiction | Rita Bullwinkel | |
| 2022 | Fiction | Megha Majumdar | |
| 2022 | Fiction | Nana Nkweti | |
| 2022 | Non-fiction | Anaïs Duplan | |
| 2022 | Non-fiction | Alexis Pauline Gumbs | |
| 2022 | Non-fiction | Jesse McCarthy | |
| 2022 | Poetry | Ina Cariño | |
| 2022 | Poetry | Anthony Cody | |
| 2022 | Poetry | Claire Schwartz | |
| 2023 | Drama | Mia Chung | |
| 2023 | Fiction | Marcia Douglas | |
| 2023 | Fiction | Sidik Fofana | |
| 2023 | Fiction | Caribbean Fragoza | |
| 2023 | Fiction | R. Kikuo Johnson | |
| 2023 | Non-fiction | Linda Kinstler | |
| 2023 | Non-fiction | Stephania Taladrid | |
| 2023 | Poetry | Tommye Blount | |
| 2023 | Poetry | Ama Codjoe | |
| 2023 | Poetry & Drama | Milo Wippermann | |
| 2024 | Fiction | Aaliyah Bilal | |
| 2024 | Fiction | Yoon Choi | |
| 2024 | Fiction | Gothataone Moeng | |
| 2024 | Fiction | Ada Zhang | |
| 2024 | Drama | Shayok Misha Chowdhury | |
| 2024 | Drama | Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig | |
| 2024 | Non-fiction & Drama | Javier Zamora | |
| 2024 | Poetry | Elisa Gonzalez | |
| 2024 | Poetry | Taylor Johnson | |
| 2024 | Poetry | Charif Shanahan | |