Oxford American awarded Whiting Literary Magazine Prize

Fresh on the heels of their Fall 2023 issue, the Oxford American has been awarded with a Whiting Literary Magazine Prize, an honor that seeks to “empower outstanding nonprofit publications to develop and implement ideas that will have a transformative impact and help sustain their crucial work as champions of writers.”

Among this year’s seven recipients are prestigious publications like n+1, Los Angeles Review of Books and The Paris Review, proving once again that the Conway-based magazine’s reach and prowess is beyond regional.

Here’s why the judges at the Whiting Foundation chose the OA:

Oxford American is our most adventurous and authoritative window on the South, pushing beyond headlines to deliver a textured, ever-evolving portrait of its cultural wealth. Drawn in by eye-catching art direction and dazzling editorial letters, readers stay to savor the unique weave of the journalistic with habit-forming fiction and vivid travel writing. A generous intellectual hospitality serves the magazine’s Southern neighbors and a broad national readership all at once. Oxford American is a spring of innovation, honoring tradition while forging something new.

The prize consists of an initial gift of $20,000 as well as matching grants up to the same amount in 2024 and 2025. Additionally, winners will receive professional development support, including access to an expert fundraising consultant.