Washington Monthly Announces 2026 Kukula Award Winners for Nonfiction Book Reviews
The Washington Monthly announced the winners of the 2026 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing, honoring the late books editor Kukula Kapoor Glastris. Dan Piepenbring (Harper’s) won in the smaller publications category for reviews on technology and wilderness, while Rhoda Feng (The New Republic) won in the larger category for reviewing a Chinese memoir on migrant workers. Each received $1,000. Six judges selected winners from nearly 80 submissions published in 2025.
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The 2026 Kukula Award Winners
The Washington Monthly has announced the winners of the 2026 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing, now in its seventh year. The award honors the memory of Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine's longtime books editor. In the smaller publications category, Dan Piepenbring won for his review in Harper's Magazine of three books on technology, wilderness, and mythology. In the larger publications category, Rhoda Feng won for her review in The New Republic of the Chinese memoir 'I Deliver Parcels in Beijing.' Each winner receives a $1,000 cash prize. A panel of six judges selected the winners from nearly 80 submissions published in 2025, prioritizing works of public affairs, politics, history, and biography. The article also lists four finalists in each category, including writers from The Atlantic, Slate, Jacobin, and other outlets.
Washington MonthlyThe 2026 Kukula Award Winners
The Washington Monthly has announced the winners of the 2026 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing, now in its seventh year. The award honors the memory of Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine's longtime books editor. In the smaller publications category, Dan Piepenbring won for his review in Harper's Magazine of three books on tech monopolies, Canadian wilderness, and natural history myths. In the larger publications category, Rhoda Feng won for her review in The New Republic of the Chinese memoir 'I Deliver Parcels in Beijing' by Hu Anyan, which explores the lives of migrant workers in China. Each winner receives a $1,000 cash prize. A panel of six judges selected the winners from nearly 80 submissions published in 2025. The article also lists four finalists in each category, including works from The Atlantic, Slate, Jacobin, and other outlets.
Washington MonthlyThe 2026 Kukula Award Winners for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing
The Washington Monthly has announced the winners of the 2026 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing, now in its seventh year. The award honors the memory of former books editor Kukula Kapoor Glastris. In the smaller publications category, Dan Piepenbring won for his review of three books in Harper's Magazine. In the larger publications category, Rhoda Feng won for her review of the Chinese memoir 'I Deliver Parcels in Beijing' in The New Republic. Each winner receives $1,000. A panel of six judges selected winners from nearly 80 submissions, prioritizing works of public affairs, politics, history, and biography. Finalists in the small publications category include Diya Isha, Michael J. Kramer, Paul Schofield, and Ed Simon. Finalists in the larger publications category include Jacob Bacharach, Julia M. Klein, Laura Miller, and Kat.
Washington MonthlyWashington Monthly Announces Finalists for 2026 Kukula Award Book Review Prize
The Washington Monthly has announced the finalists for the 2026 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing, the only journalism prize dedicated to highlighting reviews of serious public affairs books. Now in its seventh year, the award honors Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine's longtime books editor. Two winners will be announced on June 15. Finalists were selected from nearly 80 submissions published in 2025 across print and digital media. In the larger publication category, finalists include Jacob Bacharach (The New Republic), Rhoda Feng (The New Republic), Julia M. Klein (The Atlantic), Laura Miller (Slate), and Katy Waldman (The New Yorker). In the smaller publication category, finalists include Diya Isha (The Swaddle), Michael J. Kramer (Society for U.S. Intellectual History Book Review), Dan Piepenbring (Harper's), Paul Schofield (Jacobin), and Ed Simon (Los Angeles Review of Books). The judges are Sara Bhatia, Stephen Braun, and four others. The prize recognizes reviews that elucidate key issues such as gender politics, technology, the gig economy, and political censorship.
Washington MonthlyWashington Monthly Announces Finalists for 2026 Kukula Award for Nonfiction Book Reviewing
The Washington Monthly has announced the finalists for the 2026 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing, the only journalism prize dedicated to highlighting reviews of serious public affairs-focused books. Now in its seventh year, the award honors the memory of Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine's longtime books editor. Two winners will be announced on June 15, 2026. Selected from nearly 80 submissions published in 2025, finalists were judged on clarity, original thesis, and ability to enlighten readers. The larger publication category finalists include Jacob Bacharach (The New Republic), Rhoda Feng (The New Republic), Julia M. Klein (The Atlantic), Laura Miller (Slate), and Katy Waldman (The New Yorker). Smaller publication finalists include Diya Isha (The Swaddle), Michael J. Kramer (Society for U.S. Intellectual History), Dan Piepenbring (Harper's), Paul Schofield (Jacobin), and Ed Simon (Los Angeles Review of Books). Topics covered include gender politics, technology, censorship, and historical reckoning. Six veteran journalists served as judges.
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