Lukas Prizes Honor Books on Homelessness, US Census, and Ancient India

Annual awards recognize literary excellence and social impact in nonfiction works.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 5:18pm

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The J. Anthony Lukas Project, a joint initiative of Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, has announced the winners of its annual book prizes. The Lukas Book Prize of $10,000 was awarded to Jeff Hobbs for "Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America". The Mark Lynton Prize for History, also $10,000, went to William Dalrymple for "The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World". The Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards of $25,000 each were given to danah boyd for "Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the U.S. Census" and Karim Zidan for "In the Shadow of the Cage".

Why it matters

The Lukas Prizes are highly prestigious awards that recognize nonfiction books that combine literary merit, rigorous research, and social impact. The winning works cover important topics like homelessness, the U.S. Census, and the history of ancient India, highlighting the power of long-form journalism and scholarship to shed light on critical issues.

The details

The Lukas Book Prize and Mark Lynton Prize for History each carry a $10,000 award, while the Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards provide $25,000 to support the completion of two forthcoming books. The prizes were established in 1998 and have previously honored acclaimed authors such as Robert Caro, Isabel Wilkerson, and Jill Lepore.

  • The winners were announced on March 17, 2026.

The players

Jeff Hobbs

The winner of the Lukas Book Prize for his work "Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America".

William Dalrymple

The winner of the Mark Lynton Prize for History for his book "The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World".

danah boyd

The recipient of a Lukas Work-in-Progress Award for her forthcoming book "Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the U.S. Census".

Karim Zidan

The recipient of a Lukas Work-in-Progress Award for his forthcoming book "In the Shadow of the Cage".

J. Anthony Lukas

The late author and investigative journalist for whom the Lukas Prizes are named.

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The takeaway

The Lukas Prizes continue to honor exceptional nonfiction books that shed light on important social issues and transform our understanding of the world through rigorous reporting and compelling storytelling.