Beth Lew Williams wins the 2026 Cundill History Prize
Historian Beth Lew-Williams has won the 2026 Cundill History Prize for her book examining anti-Chinese racial laws in the American West.
FTMQ Books, written by our newsroom0 views
Jurors awarded the 2026 Cundill History Prize to Beth Lew-Williams for her book John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law. The announcement was made on October 23 at the Cundill History Prize Festival in Montreal. Literary Hub, The Bookseller, Quill and Quire, CTV News, and the Toronto Star all reported the win. [1][2][3][4][5]
The awarded book examines the intentions and paradoxes of anti-Chinese racial laws in the American West spanning from the 1850s to the 1920s, Literary Hub reported. According to The Bookseller, the award carries a cash prize of 75,000 dollars. [1][2]
The Cundill History Prize is an annual literary award established in 2008 by Peter Cundill. Administered by McGill University, the prize honours non-fiction history writing published in English that demonstrates historical scholarship, originality, literary quality, and broad appeal. [6]
In short
- Beth Lew-Williams won the 2026 Cundill History Prize for her book John Doe Chinaman.
- The award carries a financial prize of 75,000 dollars.
- The book covers anti-Chinese racial laws in the American West from the 1850s to the 1920s.
- The prize was established in 2008 and is administered by McGill University.
Sources
Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.
- [1]Here’s the winner of the 2026 Cundill History Prize.Literary Hub, 2h ago (the report this story comes from)
- [2]Beth Lew-Williams wins $75k Cundill History PrizeThe Bookseller, 2h ago
- [3]Beth Lew-Williams wins 2026 Cundill PrizeQuill and Quire, 2h ago
- [4]Beth Lew-Williams wins Cundill History Prize for book on anti-Chinese discriminationCTV News, 2h ago
- [5]Beth Lew-Williams wins Cundill History Prize for book on anti-Chinese discriminationToronto Star, 2h ago
Background
- [6]Cundill History Prize on Wikipedia
Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 6 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.
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