The American Academy of Arts and Letters announces the 18 recipients of its 2026 Awards in Literature, which honor both established and emerging writers.
Each year, the award committee selects eight writers in any genre to receive Arts and Letters Awards of $10,000 each to honor and encourage creative work. The 2026 recipients are Caleb Crain, Jane Hirshfield, Ladee Hubbard, Katha Pollitt, Sarah Ruhl, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, Madeleine Thien, and Alec Wilkinson.
The literature awards will be presented alongside the architecture, art, and music awards at Arts and Letters’s annual Ceremonial in May.
A full list of 2026 literature award recipients follows.
Arts and Letters
Founded in 1898, the American Academy of Arts and Letters represents the highest standards of artistic achievement in this country, and our community of members are among the leading contemporary architects, visual artists, writers, and composers. Arts and Letters honors creative accomplishment through the election of members, the conferment of awards, and presenting public exhibitions and interdisciplinary programs at our historic buildings in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City.
2026 Literature Award Recipients List
Arts and Letters Awards
Caleb Crain
Jane Hirshfield
Ladee Hubbard
Katha Pollitt
Sarah Ruhl
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh
Madeleine Thien
Alec Wilkinson
Read more here.
