The Newberry Library and The Pattis Family Foundation are now accepting nominations for The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award. The award, which was inaugurated in July of 2022, celebrates published works that transform public understanding of Chicago, its history, and its people.
“The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award is much sought-after and a wonderful acknowledgement of our city’s history and its vibrant literary scene. During the past four years, the award has drawn attention to works that have made a lasting impact on Chicago. We are eager to review the next set of nominated works for the 2026 award,” said Jill Austin, Vice President for Public Engagement for the Newberry.
Authors, publishers, or members of the public can nominate a book for the 2026 award through a form on the Newberry’s website. The review panel considers work by writers working in a variety of genres, including history, biography, social sciences, poetry, drama, graphic novels, and fiction. Titles must be available for purchase by the public in either hardcover or bound paperback form and must bear a copyright of 2024 or 2025 to be eligible for the 2026 prize. Nominations close on January 31, 2026.
The first Pattis Chicago Book Award was presented to Dawn Turner in 2022 for her memoir, Three Girls from Bronzeville. The 2023 award recognized Toya Wolfe for the novel, Last Summer on State Street, and the 2024 award honored Thomas Leslie for Chicago Skyscrapers 1934-1986: How Technology, Politics, Finance, & Race Reshaped the City. Scott W. Berg received the 2025 award for The Burning of the World: The Great Chicago Fire and the War for a City’s Soul.
The 2026 Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award will be presented at a free public event in September 2026.