Here’s the winner of the 2026 Cundill History Prize.
Today, at the Cundill History Prize Festival in Montreal, the jurors awarded the 2026 Cundill History Prize, which celebrates “outstanding history writing,” to John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law by Beth Lew-Williams. “In
The 2026 Cundill History Prize, which honors "exceptional history writing," has been awarded to Beth Lew-Williams for her book "John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law." Jurors praised Lew-Williams for her ability to "unravel the paradoxes of anti-Chinese racial laws in the American West from the 1850s to the 1920s, analyzing the intentions of these laws, their effects, and how Chinese migrants responded to them."
The prize-winning work sheds light on the suppression of Chinese migrants, reducing them to mere stereotypes, and retrieves their voices from the historical record. As a result, Lew-Williams will receive a substantial $75,000 prize. The two finalists, Jonathan Cheng and Alexander Lee, will each receive $10,000.
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Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Beth Lew-Williams wins Cundill History Prize for book on anti-Chinese discrimination toronto.citynews.ca
- Beth Lew-Williams wins Cundill History Prize for book on anti-Chinese discrimination winnipegfreepress.com
