The Ryszard Kapuściński Award (Polish: Nagroda im. Ryszarda Kapuścińskiego) is an important annual award given in Poland. It is the most significant honor for a type of writing called literary reportage.

History

The award was created to recognize and encourage nonfiction books that discuss important modern issues, make people think, and help them learn more about other cultures and themselves. It honors the memory of journalist and writer Ryszard Kapuściński (1932–2007) and has the special support of Mrs. Alicja Kapuścińska, his wife.

Founded in January 2010 by the Council of the Capital City of Warsaw, the award gives a cash prize of 100,000 złoty to the author of the best literary reportage of the year and 20,000 PLN to the author of the best translation of the reportage of the year. Past jury members have included people such as Joanna Bator, Maciej Drygas, Olga Stanisławska, Maciej Zaremba, Małgorzata Szejnert, Anders Bodegård, Julia Fiedorczuk, William R. Brand, and Piotr Mitzner.

This award should not be confused with two other awards named after Ryszard Kapuściński: the Polish Press Agency Ryszard Kapuściński Award, created in 2010, and the Ryszard Kapuściński Translation Award, created in 2015.