Finalists for the 2026 Peterson Literary Prize are Announced
September 28, 2026
TORONTO. The Peterson Literary Fund at BCU Foundation has announced the five finalists for the 2026 Peterson Literary Prize for nonfiction. The biennial international prize recognizes the best nonfiction books, written in English or Ukrainian, that promote a better understanding of Ukraine-related topics relevant to a global audience.
The Peterson Literary Prize is valued at $30,000 CAD. The winning author will receive a prize of $25,000 and an additional $5,000 will be awarded to the book’s publisher. Shortlisted finalists will each receive $5,000 CAD.
The winner will be announced at the Peterson Literary Fund’s annual awards ceremony and dinner on Sunday, November 22, 2026, in Toronto.
The awards gala guest keynote speaker will be announced on October 1, 2026.
The Five Finalists for the 2026 Peterson Literary Prize are:
Списки [Lists]
by Myroslav Laiuk (Ukraїner Publishing House, Ukraine)
Живі. Зрозуміти українську літературу [The Living. Understanding Ukrainian Literature]
by Oleksandr Mykhed, Pavlo Mykhed (Old Lion Publishing House, Ukraine)
David and Goliath: Commentaries on the Russo-Ukrainian War
by Serhii Plokhy (Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, USA)
Russia against Ukraine: Russian Political Mythology and the War on Ukrainian Identity
Edited by Anton Shekhovtsov (Ibidem Press, Germany)
Stalin’s Liquidation Game: The Unlikely Case of Oleksandr Shums’kyi, His Survival in Soviet Prison, and His Subsequent Arcane Assassination
by Filip Slaveski, Yuri Shapoval (Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, USA)
According to Lisa Shymko, Jury Chair & Fund Chief Administrator, “autocrats understand that the written word is mightier than the sword. As Putin expands his brutal war aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity, the deliberate destruction of Ukraine’s cultural institutions has become a vile obsession for the Kremlin. Russian drone strikes on book depots and distribution centres across Ukraine have now destroyed more than ten million volumes. That is why the mission of the Peterson Literary Fund is especially relevant. The Free World must act decisively to protect and promote fact-based books — the vital transmitters of truth and the universal pursuit of freedom.”
Finalists were chosen by the 2026 Peterson Literary Fund Jury: Lisa Shymko (Chair), Nadia Gereliouk, John Jaworsky, Alexander Motyl, and Marko R. Stech.
About the Peterson Literary Fund:
The Peterson Literary Fund was established by Canadian philanthropist Stanley Peterson, whose generosity and far-sighted vision created a literary fund with Ukrainian roots and a global reach. The Peterson Literary Fund operates under the auspices of the Toronto-based BCU Foundation.
The fund oversees an international literary prize, several translated book awards, grants for writers, translators, and publishers, as well as several fund-initiated programs. In accordance with the wishes of the Peterson Literary Fund’s late benefactor, the fund is managed by Canadian political scientist Lisa Shymko, who also serves as Jury Chair.
Prize winners are announced at the fund’s year-end awards ceremony held annually in Toronto.
For media inquiries, contact the Peterson Literary Fund: Tel. (416) 763-7005