Identity or community
NAACP Image Awards, Outstanding Literary Work categories
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
In short
The NAACP Image Awards, given by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, honor achievement by people of color, and the Outstanding Literary Work categories cover fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and books for children and teens. It is a televised show, so a nomination reaches readers and media well outside the book trade. Only submitted work is considered. Check whether your publisher is entering; if not, check the Image Awards submission site for whether an individual author may enter and what the fee is.
Deadline November 6, 2026Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Every label is a fact from the official rules, never a judgment about whether the award is worth entering. How we describe awards.
The NAACP Image Awards, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), honor achievement by people of color in film, television, music, podcasts, and literature. The literary categories for the 58th awards are Outstanding Literary Work in Fiction, Non-Fiction, Debut Author, Biography/Autobiography, Instructional, Poetry, Children, Youth/Teens, and Graphic Novel.
Submissions are open, and only submitted work is reviewed. For the 58th awards, a work released between January 1 and December 31, 2026 qualifies, with an early-bird deadline of October 9, 2026, a literary deadline of November 6, 2026, and a general deadline of November 13, 2026. Nominees will be announced January 7, 2027, and the ceremony date is to be announced.
Entries and fees are handled through the Image Awards submission site (naacpimageawards.net (opens in a new tab)), which blocked automated access when this record was prepared, so fee amounts, copies, and who may submit must be confirmed there.
Why it may matter
The Image Awards are a televised, general-audience awards show, and a literary nomination reaches readers and media well outside the book trade. The literary deadline falls a week before the general deadline, and books published in December are still eligible, so the entry needs to go in before the book is out.
2027 cycle: 58th NAACP Image Awards (works released in 2026)
- Eligible publication dates
- January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026
- Early deadline
- October 9, 2026Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Final deadline
- November 6, 2026Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Deadline note
- Early-bird deadline October 9, 2026; literary deadline November 6, 2026; general deadline for all other categories November 13, 2026
- Entry fee
- Not confirmed. Entry fees apply; the amounts are on the submission site and were not in the announcementChecked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Results
- Nominees announced January 7, 2027; ceremony date to be announced
Worth knowing
Our reading, not a rule the organization published. We judge an award on the rubric in how we describe awards.
Entry fees apply but the amounts were not in the announcement. The specific submissions page could not be found at the time of writing (naacpimageawards.net/submissions/ (opens in a new tab) no longer resolves), so the link above goes to the NAACP Image Awards home page; look there for the current entry portal. The literary deadline (November 6, 2026) is earlier than the general deadline, and the early-bird deadline (October 9, 2026) usually carries a lower fee.
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.
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