What does it take to sustain a democracy? In a year full of exceptional nominations, the Rodel Institute has narrowed the field to five finalists for the 2026 Edwards Book Award shortlist.

This annual prize recognizes books that make an outstanding contribution to the understanding and practice of American politics. Featuring nonfiction titles published in 2025, this year’s shortlist spans the arc of the American experiment—from the founders drafting the Constitution to modern strategies for combatting political polarization and rebuilding democratic deliberation.

The author of the winning book will receive a $10,000 honorarium and will be featured as the keynote speaker at an award ceremony hosted by the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy on September 24, 2026. Last year’s award went to James Davison Hunter, UVA’s LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture, and Social Theory, for his insightful book, Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis.

Selecting the longlist, shortlist, and ultimate winner is no small task. The process relies on a dedicated committee of past Rodel Fellows, external academic advisors, and Rodel Institute staff. This year, returning Rodel Fellows Ginger Nelson (former Mayor of Amarillo, TX) and Warwick Sabin (former State Representative, AR) are joined on the panel by new members Bill Gates (former Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman, AZ) and Nellie Gorbea (former Secretary of State, RI).

Guiding the committee’s choices are academic advisors Ian Solomon, Dean of UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, and Jennifer Siegel, the Bruce R. Kuniholm Distinguished Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University. Rodel staff members John Kroger, Lizzy McCourt Noonan, and Breanna Kerr round out the committee, completing the team tasked with evaluating this year’s exceptional field of nominations.

About the Edwards Book Award

The award is named in honor of former Congressman Mickey Edwards, who has spent a lifetime inspiring generations of American public servants and students. Beyond his time in Congress, Edwards has shaped political thought as a faculty member at Harvard, Princeton, and American Universities, an author, and the founding executive director of the Rodel Fellowship—the nation’s premier bipartisan leadership development program for elected leaders.