Library of Congress Accepting Applications for the 2026 Literacy Awards

Applications Are Being Accepted from Jan. 5 to Feb. 17 Applications are being accepted for the 2026 Library of Congress Literacy Awards from Jan. 5 to Feb. 17. The awards are made possible through the generosity of philanthropist David M. Rubenstein and the Kislak Family Foundation. The Literacy Awards program, sponsored by Rubenstein since 2013 and the Kislak Family Foundation since 2023, recognizes organizations that provide exemplary, innovative and replicable strategies to promote literacy in the United States and abroad. The awards encourage the continuing development of innovative methods for promoting literacy and the dissemination of the most successful practices. For more than a decade, the Library has recognized the urgent need to achieve universal literacy through the program. The awards are intended to draw public attention to the importance of literacy and the need to promote literacy and encourage reading. The Library of Congress will make the final selection of the prize winners with recommendations from an advisory board of literacy experts. Winners and honorees will be announced in September. Four top prizes will be awarded in 2026: The David M. Rubenstein Prize ($150,000), for an outstanding and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels, is awarded to an organization based either in the United States or abroad that has demonstrated exceptional and sustained depth in its commitment to the advancement of literacy. The Kislak Family Prize ($100,000) is awarded to an organization based either in the United States or abroad with an outsized impact on literacy relative to its size and/or years of operation. The American Prize ($50,000) is awarded to an organization based in the United States that demonstrates a significant and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels or the national awareness of the importance of literacy. The International Prize ($50,000), for a significant and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels in a country other than the United States, is awarded to an organization that is based either in the United States or abroad. Up to 15 additional organizations will be honored for their successful practices in various areas of literacy promotion. Each successful practices honoree recipient will receive $10,000. Finally, the program will award $5,000 each to up to five additional literacy initiatives in their early stages of development that demonstrate significant creativity and promise in their approach to promoting literacy. Nonprofit organizations, schools, libraries, government-sponsored initiatives and tribal organizations are invited to apply. The application rules and a downloadable application form may be accessed at https://www.loc.gov/programs/library-of-congress-literacy-awards/apply/. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 17. An applicant information session will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. EST. Attendees must register for the session in advance. The Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program is administered by the Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives Office, a unit of the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement at the Library of Congress.