Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence

06/04/2024

Aaliyah Bilal's debut collection of short stories, TEMPLE FOLK, has won the 17th annual Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. This award, which serves as a testament to the enduring impact of Mr. Gaines' literary contributions, is presented by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation each year to celebrate an emerging African-American fiction writer. Aaliyah will be honored at a ceremony on October 23, 2024.

"It is an honor to have my first effort, Temple Folk, chosen for the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence," said Bilal. "I am especially proud to be associated with the legacy of Mr. Gaines, whose work informs my ambition to tell timeless stories in plain spoken, elegant prose. Mr. Gaines teaches us how to do this sacred work with grace, grit, and love."

Visit ernestjgainesaward.org to learn more about the award and the winning author. 📚✨

11/29/2022

Jacinda Townsend has won the 2022 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for her novel Mother Country.

Presented annually by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the award supports an emerging African American fiction writer with $15,000 to support the continuation of their craft.

Read more about this year’s winner and the legacy of Ernest J. Gaines at https://ernestjgainesaward.org/gaines-award-winner

01/26/2022

WATCH NOW!!..the Premier of the 15th Annual Ernest J. Gaines ward for Literary Excellence! Tune in at 6:30pm as Nathan Harris acepts his award and discusses his winning novel, The Sweetness of Water.

Thank you to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Once again, Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) will team up with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to bring viewers the presentation of this year’s Ernest J. ...

01/25/2022

WATCH 6:30pm TONIGHT! ..the Premier of the 15th Annual Ernest J. Gaines ward for Literary Excellence! Tune in at 6:30pm as Nathan Harris acepts his award and discusses his winning novel, The Sweetness of Water.

Thank you to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Ernest Gaines Award

01/25/2022

Watch the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence tonight at 6:30pm at www.lpb.org. To learn more about the award and this year's recipient, author Nathan Harris, check out ernestjgainesaward.org.

Watch the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence tonight at 6:30pm at www.lpb.org. To learn more about the award and this year's recipient, author Nathan Harris, check out ernestjgainesaward.org .

01/22/2022

The 15th annual Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence will be held VIRTUALLY Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. with a premier on our website: https://ernestjgainesaward.org.

Nathan Harris' debut novel, The Sweetness of Water, has won the $15,000 award, which is presented by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. The award is given to honor the late Ernest Gaines, a Louisiana native whose stories gave voice to African Americans in rural areas.

The Oprah factor: The Sweetness of Water was selected by Oprah Winfrey for her global book club, which catapulted the novel onto the The New York Times bestseller list for two weeks in July. The book was longlisted for The Booker Prizes, the most prestigious writing award in the world.

A rare find: "It can be quite astonishing to witness a young man create a work of art that is wiser than his years — that is probably wiser than he is at that point. That’s the miracle. As a teacher, you don’t get to see it too often,” said Jason Brown, University of Oregon writing professor and Harris' mentor, in Eugene Weekly.

Ernest Gaines Award

01/22/2022

Getting ready for the VIRTUAL 15th annual Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence this Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Head over to https://ernestjgainesaward.org at 6:30pm Tuesday for the big premiere! Thank you to Louisiana Public Broadcasting!

Ernest Gaines Award

01/22/2022

THIS WEEK! Join us this Tuesday for the premier of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, an exciting video presentation of the 2021 award to Nathan Harris for his novel, The Sweetness of Water.

Our presentation will include messages from our past winners and our judges, plus a fantastic interview with our winner and judge Tony Grooms that you don't want to miss!

Tune in Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 6:30pm for the premier at our website:

Ernest Gaines Award

11/15/2021

WE HAVE A WINNER! Nathan Harris' debut novel, The Sweetness of Water, has won the $15,000 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, which is presented by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. The award is given to honor the late Ernest Gaines, a Louisiana native whose stories gave voice to African Americans in rural areas.

Save the date: The 15th annual Gaines Award will be presented to Harris on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. in the Manship Theatre at Shaw Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

The Oprah factor: The Sweetness of Water was selected by Oprah Winfrey for her global book club, which catapulted the novel onto the The New York Times bestseller list for two weeks in July. The book was longlisted for The Booker Prizes, the most prestigious writing award in the world.

A rare find: "It can be quite astonishing to witness a young man create a work of art that is wiser than his years — that is probably wiser than he is at that point. That’s the miracle. As a teacher, you don’t get to see it too often,” said Jason Brown, University of Oregon writing professor and Harris' mentor, in Eugene Weekly.

07/08/2021

Nine writers have submitted their books to be considered for the 2021 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation presents the $15,000 prize annually to an African American writer of promise. The book award honors the late Mr. Gaines, a Louisiana writer who grew up in Oscar, near False River, and became among the most-celebrated authors of his generation.

Deadline for submissions to the Gaines Award is Aug. 15, and we'll celebrate the winner in January at the Manship Theatre. Enter here: https://ernestjgainesaward.org/literary-award-criteria-registration

The award is judged by five writers, including the prolific Francine Prose. The New York Times interviewed her last week. "I'm easily bored by books," she tells The Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/28/books/francine-prose-vixen.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage (subscription required)

01/28/2021

Watch Now! The 2020 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence congratulates Gabriel Bump for his novel Everywhere You Don’t Belong. Tune in now to see Gabriel, our judges and cameos from our past winners now at https://ernestjgainesaward.org