Finalists to Appear in Conversation at Mount Vernon on August 20
MOUNT VERNON, VA, July 16, 2026 — Five books published in 2025 and written by some of the nation’s most renowned historians are finalists for the 2026 George Washington Prize. This annual award celebrates the year’s best works on the founding of our nation, particularly those that broaden public knowledge of early American history.
The $50,000 George Washington Prize, created by George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and Washington College, is one of the nation’s largest and most notable book awards.
The 2026 George Washington Prize finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Richard Bell, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World (Riverhead Books, 2025)
Joyce Chaplin, The Franklin Stove: An Unintended American Revolution (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025)
Steven Sarson, The Course of Human Events: The Declaration of Independence and the Historical Origins of the United States (University of Virginia Press, 2025)
Paul Staiti, The Killing of Jane McCrea: An American Tragedy on the American Frontier (Westholme Publishing, 2025)
Amy Watson, Patriots Before the Revolution: The Rise of Party Politics in the British Atlantic, 1714-1763 (Yale University Press, 2025)
Lindsay Chervinksy, Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library, said, “We are so thrilled to share finalists that highlight the breadth and depth of the American Revolution, in the United States and around the globe. They offer something for every reader excited by the nation's 250th anniversary to learn more about the country's founding story.”
James Basker, President and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, said, “The ideals and events of the American founding are still reverberating 250 years later, as these excellent books show. New stories, new insights, and a renewed sense of why history matters more than ever!”
Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College, said, “In this landmark anniversary year of our nation’s founding, both scholars and readers are paying renewed attention to the meaning and memory of the Revolution. The 2026 finalists demonstrate that new light is being shed on the old stories, and that the global reverberations of 1776 continue to echo today.”
Each year since the Prize was created in 2005, an independent jury has evaluated 50 to 100 books published in the previous year that explore the history of the American founding era. The five books named finalists for the 2026 Prize are outstanding examples of robust and thought-provoking explorations of America’s unique history.
The finalists will discuss their books at an event at George Washington’s Mount Vernon on Thursday, August 20, 2026. The authors will be available for book signings immediately following the conversation.
The George Washington Prize winner will be announced at a gala dinner in New York City on October 5, 2026.
More information about the George Washington Prize is available at https://www.mountvernon.org/gwprize.
About the Sponsors of the George Washington Prize
Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States. The estate is open to visitors and includes the Mansion, a museum and education center, gardens, tombs, a working farm, a functioning distillery, and a gristmill. It also includes the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. Learn more at mountvernon.org.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education. The Institute is the leading nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is supported through the generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Institute’s programs have been recognized by awards from the White House, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Organization of American Historians, the Council of Independent Colleges, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Learn more at gilderlehrman.org.
Washington College was founded in 1782, the first institution of higher learning established in the new republic. George Washington was not only a principal donor to the college, but also a member of its original governing board. He received an honorary degree from the college in June 1789, two months after assuming the presidency. The college’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores the American experience in all its diversity and complexity, seeks creative approaches to illuminating the past, and inspires thoughtful conversation informed by history. Learn more at www.washcoll.edu.
