Jeff Hobbs and William Dalrymple are among the winners of the 2026 J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project Awards, given annually in recognition of “excellence in nonfiction that exemplifies the literary grace and commitment to serious research and social concern.”
Hobbs won the $10,000 J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize for Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America, which tells the story of a single parent in Los Angeles trying to raise her six children during the recent housing crisis. A critic for Kirkus called the book “a well-intended work of advocacy journalism that points to the endless obstacles attendant in helping those in need.” The finalist for the prize was Rich Benjamin for Talk to Me: Lessons From a Family Forged by History.
The $10,000 Mark Lynton History Prize went to Dalrymple for The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, which explores the impact of the Indian subcontinent on literature, technology, religion, architecture, and more. A critic for Kirkus praised the book as “a passionate tribute to the glories—and influence—of ancient India.” Siddharth Kara was named the award’s finalist for The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery.
The winners of the $25,000 J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards were danah boyd and Karim Zidan.
The J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project Awards, named after the journalist and author of Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families, were established in 1999. Previous winners include Lawrence Wright for The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 and Kathleen DuVal for Native Nations: A Millennium in North America.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
