The Book Awards recognize cookbooks and other nonfiction food or beverage-related books that were published in the U.S.
Photo: Jeff Schear
The 2026 James Beard Book Awards will take place on Saturday, June 13th, at the Columbia College Chicago Student Center, celebrating the year’s most outstanding culinary publications. As one of the most prestigious honors in food literature, the awards recognize the authors, publishers, and storytellers who enrich our understanding of food culture. With a legacy of excellence in food writing, the ceremony promises an inspiring evening dedicated to those shaping the way we cook, eat, and think about food.
Book Awards Categories
Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of baking, pastries, and desserts, both sweet and savory items, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions.
Books with recipes focused on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices.
Books without recipes that focus on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices; or books that cover these subject areas where recipes are not the focus of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region.
Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of making bread, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions.
Books that focus on investigative journalism, food policy, food advocacy, deep dives, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape around food.
Books with recipes that address a broad scope of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region, and are accessible to a general audience.
Books with recipes focused on presenting cuisines of the world in their cultural context: their history, distinctive characteristics, and techniques.
Narrative nonfiction books, including memoirs, culinary travel, culinary tourism, biography, reflections on food in a cultural context, and personal essays.
Books written by a culinary professional or restaurant chef with recipes that may include advanced cooking techniques, the use of specialty ingredients and professional equipment, including culinary arts textbooks.
Includes manuals, guides, encyclopedias, and books that present research related to food or foodways.
Books with recipes focused on a single ingredient, dish, or method of cooking. Examples include seafood, grains, pasta, burgers, or canning. Exceptions are baking and desserts books, vegetable-focused books, restaurant and professional books, and beverage books—which should be entered in their respective categories.
Books with recipes focused on the cooking or foodways of regions or communities located within the United States.
Books on vegetable cookery with recipes that are primarily meatless, vegetarian, or vegan.
Books on food or beverage with exceptional graphic design, art, or photography. Should be no more than 20 percent recipes.
As of the 2026 cycle, the Cookbook Hall of Fame Award has been renamed the James Beard Book Awards Hall of Fame.
The Book Committee selects the honoree for this category. No entries will be accepted for this category. This award is given to an author who possesses an exceptional ability to communicate their gastronomic vision via the printed page and whose book or oeuvre of books has significantly impacted the way we think about food and cooking.
The Book Committee selects the Emerging Voice Award winner, and the winner does not have to come from entries. This award recognizes work of immediate impact and lasting significance by a first-time published author whose unique perspective expands the reach of the subject matter. The medallion and a certificate are given to the winning author.
Awards Structure
Open Call for Entries are conducted and require a fee of $85.00 per entry (waivers provided upon request). Winners and Nominees are selected from the entries.
Click here for more information on the Media Awards Voting Process.
Chair, Genevieve Villamora, Restaurateur and Writer
Vice-Chair, Jenny Hartin, Director of Operations, Review Writer and Indexing Manager, Eat Your Books
Cheryl Day, Entrepreneur, Baker, Author, TV and Radio Host, Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice Founder
Simon de Swaan, Hospitality Recruiter, Goodwin Recruiting
Rebekah Denn, Contributor, The Seattle Times and other Publications, Editor of PCC Community Markets Sound Consumer Newspaper
Taffy Elrod, Chef Instructor, SUNY Capital District EOC
Cynthia Greenlee, Historian, Writer, Journalist and Deputy Editor, Special Series at The Guardian
Irvin Lin, Writer, Photographer, Recipe Developer, Blogger, Influencer
Nancie McDermott, Head, Nancie's Table
Therese Nelson, Founder, Black Culinary History
Marta Rivera Diaz, Chef and Author, Self-Employed
Louiie Victa, Chef, Food Photographer, Recipe Developer and Food Stylist; American Photographic Artists
The James Beard Awards consist of the following recognition programs: Media Awards (Book, Broadcast Media, Journalism), Restaurant and Chef Awards, and Achievement Awards which include: Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian of the Year and the Impact Awards. The Leadership Awards were retired after the 2024 Awards cycle.
The Restaurant and Chef and Media Awards are administered by independent volunteer members of the media, culinary, beverage, hospitality, and the broader culinary ecosystem.
The James Beard Foundation is introducing beverage awards categories with the goal of acknowledging the beverage industry in a more holistic way.
GOVERNANCE
Awards Committee
Together and in consultation with the Foundation and its staff, the Awards Committee has oversight of and administers the James Beard Awards. The Awards Committee reviews and approves all prospective subcommittee members and judges; votes on the Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year Award; and reviews and approves all policy, eligibility and criteria changes put forth by the Subcommittees. Members include chairpersons of each Awards program, Board of Trustees members and at-large food, beverage, media and related industries.
Awards Subcommittees + Judges
Each Awards program is administered by an independent volunteer subcommittee, together and in consultation with the Foundation and its representatives. Each subcommittee administers their respective programs; they recommend and select new subcommittee members and judges. Subcommittees’ names are published on this website. Judges are invited to apply annually. Judges’ names are published on the website at the end of each cycle. Assigned categories are not revealed.
The James Beard Foundation and its Board of Trustees has jurisdiction over all Awards programs. Members of the Board of Trustees do not vote, except where indicated. Foundation staff do not vote. As appropriate and based on strategy alignment, the Board may direct the Awards Committee and the subcommittees to include or exclude any Awards category, or to modify, amend or replace the criteria applicable to any Awards category.
Click here to see the Awards structure and governance.
How to Enter
Open Call for for the 2026 Awards Season closes Friday, November 21 at 11:59 P.M. ET.
Awards Stories
Kuku Sabza with Flatbread
Check out this recipe from Andy Baraghani's award-winning cookbook "The Cook You Want to Be"
More on: Kuku Sabza with Flatbread
Noodles with XO Pepperoni Sauce
James Beard Award winner J. Kenji López-Alt shares a dish from "The Wok: Recipes and Techniques"
More on: Noodles with XO Pepperoni Sauce