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.
From the award-winning 1990 documentary, “The Civil War,” to “The American Revolution,” Burns, perhaps more than any other storyteller, has shaped how we see our national story—offering the richest possible ground for reflection as we mark our country’s 250th anniversary.
Burns will be receiving his award and giving a presentation at SVWC 2026, happening July 18-20. Stay tuned for more information about how to get involved.
ABOUT THE WRITER IN THE WORLD PRIZE
The Writer in the World Prize was established in 2021 by SVWC board members. It recognizes a writer whose work expresses a rare combination of literary talent and moral imagination, helping us to better understand the world and our place in it. We honor the recipients of this prize—some of the greatest writers of our time—for their vast gifts to society and contributions to the global canon of literature. And, in keeping with a founding goal of the Conference, we celebrate the importance and lasting beauty of the written word in all its forms.
This $20,000 prize is funded by SVWC board members.
PAST PRIZE RECIPIENTS
Barry Lopez — 2021
Abraham Verghese — 2023
Margaret Atwood — 2024
Salman Rushdie — 2025