Awards & Prizes

The Goldsmith Book Prize

About the award

The Goldsmith Book Prize is awarded to the trade and academic book published in the United States in the last 24 months that best fulfills the objective of improving democratic governance through an examination of the intersection between the media, politics and public policy. Recent Goldsmith Book Prizes have been awarded to books about political journalism, the history of news, news and political polarization, internet freedom, local news and digital democracy. Books that are not on the topic of media and politics will not be considered.

Financial support for the Goldsmith Awards Program is provided by an annual grant from the Goldsmith Fund of the Greenfield Foundation. The program is administered by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Rules and Information

Submissions

Submissions for the 2024 Goldsmith Book Prize are now closed. The deadline to submit was December 15, 2023, 11:59pm ET. Entries for the 2024 Goldsmith Book Prize must have been published between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023. Books outside the defined category are not eligible for an award and will not be reviewed by the award committee. All submissions must be in English. Edited volumes will not be accepted.

Prize Money

$5,000 is awarded to the winner in each category.

Submission Info

Submissions for the 2024 Goldsmith Book Prize are now closed.

Questions

Please contact Lindsay Underwood at the Shorenstein Center: lindsayunderwood@hks.harvard.edu

    2024 Winners

    Winner, Goldsmith Book Prize: Trade

    Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity

    Sander van der Linden

    View the story

    Winner, Goldsmith Book Prize: Academic

    Repression in the Digital Age: Surveillance, Censorship, and the Dynamics of State Violence

    Anita R. Gohdes

    View the story
    View all winners

    Recent Announcements

    February 23, 2023

    Announcing the 2023 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting Finalists 

    The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School is proud to announce the six finalists for the 2023 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. The Goldsmith Prize, first awarded in 1993 and funded by a gift from the Greenfield Foundation, honors the best public service investigative journalism that has made an impact on local, state, or federal public policy or the practice of politics in the United States.

    March 5, 2024

    Announcing the 2024 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting Finalists

    The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School is proud to announce the six finalists for the 2024 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. The Goldsmith Prize, first awarded in 1993 and funded by a gift from the Greenfield Foundation, honors the best public service investigative journalism that has made an impact on local, state, or federal public policy or the practice of politics in the United States.

    February 26, 2024

    Nina Totenberg to be honored with the 2024 Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism

    Each year, the Shorenstein Center presents the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism to recognize outstanding contributions to the field and honor work that has enriched our political discourse and our society. This year’s winner is Nina Totenberg, whose trailblazing career covering the U.S.