The Library of Congress announced this week that it is awarding the 2026 John W. Kluge Prize for the Achievement in the Study of Humanity to Martha Nussbaum (University of Chicago).
The $500,000 prize “recognizes individuals whose outstanding scholarship in the humanities and social sciences has shaped public affairs and civil society.” It is awarded every other year. The winner delivers a lecture and “may remain in residence at the Library of Congress for a short time thereafter, and will be expected to have some informal interaction with members of the United States Congress.”
In the prize announcement, Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen said, “In addition to the breadth and depth of her scholarship, Martha Nussbaum exemplifies a spirit of intellectual openness and a willingness to engage with thinkers with vastly different opinions. Her student roundtables at the University of Chicago do just that, bringing together those with varied ideological viewpoints and encouraging them to explore ideas that may not match their own.”
A list of previous winners of the Kluge prize is here.
