Speedway, Indiana born and raised, author Phillip Hoose has been honored with his home state’s highest literary prize. The Indiana Authors Awards chose to honor Phil for his Indianapolis story, Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City.

With Attucks!, Phillip Hoose shines a spotlight on the Indianapolis school who won the state high school basketball championship in 1955, shattering the myth of their inferiority.

The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards honor the best books written by Indiana authors. Awarded every two years, they celebrate Indiana writers, shine a light on the Hoosier state’s literary community and deepen connections between Indiana writers and readers. They were established in 2009 as a vision of Eugene and Marilyn Glick and are a new component of Indiana Humanities’ rich and diverse literary programming.

Judges included former winners, writers, educators, scholars, local bookstore owners and librarians. Winners receive a $5,000 prize, a physical award featuring Indiana limestone and the opportunity to make a $500 gift to an Indiana public library of their choice.