| 2025 | Night Watch | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Poetry | |
| 2025 | Night Watch | The Atlantic Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2025 | Night Watch | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction & Poetry | |
| 2022 | Emile and the Field | BookPage Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Picture Books | |
| 2021 | Stones | T. S. Eliot Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Poetry | |
| 2021 | Stones | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Poetry | |
| 2021 | Stones: Poems | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Poetry | |
| 2020 | African American Poetry | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 100 Must-Read | |
| 2020 | African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Poetry | |
| 2020 | African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song | The Atlantic Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2020 | African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song | Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2020 | African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song | Esquire Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2018 | Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · PEN/Jean Stein Book Award | |
| 2018 | Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2018 | Brown | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Poetry | |
| 2018 | Brown | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Poetry | |
| 2018 | Brown: Poems | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2018 | Brown | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction & Poetry | |
| 2018 | Brown | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Poetry | |
| 2017 | Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Criticism | |
| 2017 | Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Social Sciences | |
| 2017 | Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-facts, and Fake News | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2017 | Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, And Fake News | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2017 | Bunk | Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · History | |
| 2017 | Bunk | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-facts, and Fake News | Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2016 | Blue Laws | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Poetry | |
| 2015 | Book of Hours | Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award | |
| 2013 | The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · PEN Open Book Award | |
| 2012 | Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels | American Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Book | |
| 2012 | The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Criticism | |
| 2012 | The Grey Album | Paste Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2012 | The Grey Album | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2011 | Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Poetry | |