Ken Burns is the 2026
Writer in the World Prize Recipient
We are pleased to announce that documentary filmmaker Ken Burns will receive our Writer in the World Prize at the 2026 Sun Valley Writers’ Conference (SVWC), for work that fuses narrative mastery with moral imagination, deepening our understanding of the world and our place in it. Burns will be receiving his award and giving a presentation at SVWC 2026, happening July 18-20. Stay tuned for more information.
2026 Presenters
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Richard Osman
Susan Choi
Abby Phillip
Ken Burns
Jill Lepore
Julian Brave NoiseCat
Amor Towles
Kiran Desai
Sebastian Mallaby
Ilyon Woo
Peter Godwin
Gary Shteyngart
Michael Pollan
Simon Rich
Liaquat Ahamed
David Gelles
Susan Orlean
Beth Macy
Atul Gawande
Derek Thompson
Barbara Wansbrough
Julia Lovell
Robert Macfarlane
Rick Atkinson
Virginia Evans
Ada Limón
Theo Baker
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Ken Burns 2026 Writer in the World Prize Recipient
Free Events & Community Programming
It is one of SVWC’s foremost goals to make the Conference and its content as accessible as possible, especially to students, teachers, and our local community. We have opened our doors each year, both virtually and in-person, with free Pavilion lawn talks, free livestreaming, free talks at The Community Library, as well as free online audio and video recordings (including our very own podcast) in our digital media library. This year, we are also offering Special Series Pavilion Passes and a Live Watch Party in downtown Ketchum. We invite you to join in and get inspired. For all the ways you can get involved for free, visit svwc.com/free.
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It`s not too late to get early access and guarantee your 2026 passes! Become a donor by January 31 and enjoy the benefits of the Donor Priority Pre-Sale. Although the pre-sale closes January 31, we gladly accept donations all year round. Learn more at svwc.com/support.
#SunValleyWritersConference #SVWC #SVWC2026 #DonorPriority #EarlyAccess #SupportTheArts #LiteraryCommunity #NonprofitSupport #CulturalEvents #SunValleyIdaho #WritersAndReaders #GiveBack
Already counting down the days until we can share laughs like this again! 🙂 Can`t wait to welcome back our incredible community for #SVWC2026, July 18-20.
Passes on sale February 24—mark your calendars!
📸 : @rayjgadd
#SVWC2026 #SunValleyWritersConference #SVWC #LiteraryFestival #WritersCommunity #BookLovers #SunValley #IdahoArts #AuthorEvents
Have you heard?! Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns is our 2026 Writer in the World Prize recipient! He will receive his award and give a presentation at #SVWC2026, happening July 18-20. Stay tuned for more information at svwc.com/witw (link in bio).
#SunValleyWritersConference #SVWC #WriterInTheWorld #KenBurns #LiteraryEvents #DocumentaryFilmmaking #Storytelling #Nonfiction #AmericanHistory #WritersCommunity #IdeasThatMatter #CulturalConversation #SunValleyIdaho
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“Sun Valley really rejuvenated us in so many ways, tangible and otherwise. And personally, as a writer, it felt miraculous and life-affirming.”
– Nayantara Roy, SVWC 2025 Presenter & New Voices Fellow