James Beard Foundation Announces 2026 Media Award Winners
7 reported
On June 13, the James Beard Foundation announced the winners of the 2026 James Beard Media Awards at the Art Institute of Chicago. The awards recognize cookbooks, food- or beverage-related books, radio, podcasts, documentaries, social media, and other media. Sallie Ann Robinson was inducted into the Book Awards Hall of Fame. The Restaurant and Chef Awards are scheduled for June 15 in Chicago. The Media Awards include Book, Broadcast, and Journalism categories, with winners listed across various subcategories. The source article notes that some Vox Media staff are part of the voting body for the awards.
What’s reported
The ceremony took place on June 13, 2026, at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Sallie Ann Robinson was inducted into the Book Awards Hall of Fame.
The Restaurant and Chef Awards will be held on June 15 in Chicago.
Book Awards are open to cookbooks and nonfiction food- or beverage-related books published in the U.S. in 2025.
Broadcast Media Awards honor nonfiction works in English covering food and beverage topics that first appeared in the U.S. in 2025.
Journalism Awards recognize works in English covering food- or drink-related content published or self-published in 2025.
Some Vox Media staff are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.
Key figures
Sallie Ann Robinson (author, inducted to Book Awards Hall of Fame)
Helen Goh (Baking and Desserts winner)
Irene Yoo (Beverage with Recipes winner)
Cha McCoy with Layla Schlack (Beverage without Recipes winner)
Alex Busansky, Leslie Soble, Aishatu Yusuf (Food Issues and Advocacy winners)
Hailee Catalano (General winner)
Marie Mitchell (International winner)
Michael Shaikh (Literary Writing winner)
Melissa King with JJ Goode (Professional and Restaurant winner)
Anny Gaul (Reference, History, and Scholarship winner)
Yoko Nakazawa with Rochelle Eagle (Single Subject winner)
Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn (U.S. Foodways winner)
Dora Ramírez (Vegetable-Focused Cooking winner)
Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, Bhavya Pansari, Nandini Thirani (Visuals winner)
Ozoz Sokoh (Emerging Voice in Books winner)
Nasim Lahbichi (Emerging Voice in Broadcast Media winner)
Craig Sauers (Beverage Journalism winner)
Ryan Sutton (Beverage Journalism winner)
Ellen Cushing (Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award winner)
Francis Lam (Dining and Travel winner)
Boyce Upholt (Feature Reporting winner)
Ahmed Ali Akbar (Foodways winner)
Yasmin Tayag (Health and Wellness winner)
Elizabeth Mervosh (Home Cooking winner)
Robert Lopez (Investigative Reporting winner)
Stephanie Breijo (Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award winner)
Lauren Collins (MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award winner)
Monica Herndon (Narrative Photography winner)
Erica Berry (Personal Essay winner)
Hali Bey Ramdene (Personal Essay with Recipes winner)
Sithara Ranasinghe (Profile winner)
Jasmine Michel (Emerging Voice in Journalism winner)
Sources: eater.com
