The 2026 Thurber Prize for American Humor
A Spectacular Evening of Laughter, Surprises, Fun, and Frivolity!
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Columbus College of Art and Design | Columbus, Ohio
Hosted by 2014 Thurber Prize Winner John Kenney
A Legacy of Humor
Awarded annually, the Thurber Prize for American Humor is one of the highest recognitions of humor writing and cartooning in the United States.
The Thurber Prize is presented each year in James Thurber’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Past honorees include Roz Chast, Paul Noth, Alexandra Petri, S.E. Boyd, Steven Rowley, James McBride, Trevor Noah, Dave Barry, David Sedaris, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, and The Onion.
2026 Host John Kenney
Photo credit: Beowulf Sheehan
Fan favorite and New York Times bestselling author John Kenney is back for another round of hilarious roasts and celebratory toasts!
John won the 2014 Thurber Prize for his novel Truth in Advertising and was a 2019 finalist for Love Poems for Married People. He’s published three novels and four collections of humorous poetry and has contributed to The New Yorker since 1999. This is his third time hosting the award show.
About the Thurber Prize for American Humor
The Award Show
2019 Thurber Prize Finalist Sloane Crosley, Finalist John Kenney & Winner Simon Rich
About the Award Show
During this spectacular evening of humor, attendees are entertained with a host of hilarious surprises, including appearances from the finalists/winners.
The award show culminates with the announcement of the winners of the Thurber Prize in Writing and Cartoon Art.
A Vital Fundraiser
Thurber House: Nonprofit Arts Hub, James Thurber Museum & Creative Gathering Place
Year-Round Impact
The Thurber Prize for American Humor award show celebrates humor, writing, and cartoon art on a national scale. It is also a vital fundraiser for Thurber House’s year-round programming.
For over 41 years, Thurber House has been an inclusive, empowering, and joyful place for people to come together, learn from each other, express themselves, and return that positive impact to the world. This is our mission.
Past Honorees
2017 Thurber Prize Winner Trevor Noah with Rosemary Thurber, James Thurber’s Daughter
Past Honorees Include:
Roz Chast, Paul Noth, Alexandra Petri, S.E. Boyd, Steven Rowley, James McBride, Damon Young, Simon Rich, Patricia Lockwood, Trevor Noah, Mike Birbiglia, Dave Barry, Alan Zweibel, David Sedaris, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, Ian Frazier, and The Onion.
2026 Thurber Prize in Writing Finalists
© Radiance Photography
Feh
Shalom Auslander
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From the acclaimed author of Foreskin’s Lament, a memoir of the author’s attempt to escape the biblical story he’d been raised on and his struggle to construct a new story for himself and his family.
Shalom Auslander was raised like a veal in a dysfunctional family in the Orthodox community of Monsey, New York: the son of an alcoholic father; a guilt-wielding mother; and a violent, overbearing God. Now, as he reaches middle age, Auslander begins to suspect that what plagues him is something worse, something he can’t so easily escape: a story. The story. One indelibly implanted in him at an early age, a story that told him he is fallen, broken, shameful, disgusting, a story we have all been told for thousands of years, and continue to be told by the religious and secular alike, a story called “Feh.”
Yiddish for “Yuck.”
Feh follows Auslander’s midlife journey to rewrite that story, a journey that involves Phillip Seymour Hoffman, a Pulitzer-winning poet, Job, Arthur Schopenhauer, GHB, Wolf Blitzer, Yuval Noah Harari and a pastor named Steve in a now-defunct church in Los Angeles.
Can he move from Feh to merely meh? Can he even dream of moving beyond that?
Auslander’s recounting of his attempt to exorcize the story he was raised with—before he implants it onto his children and/or possibly poisons the relationship of the one woman who loves him—isn’t sacred. It is more-than-occasionally profane. And like all his work, it is also relentlessly funny, subversively heartfelt and fearlessly provocative.
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Shalom Auslander was raised in Monsey, New York. Nominated for the Koret Award for writers under thirty-five, he has published articles in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Tablet magazine, The New Yorker, and has had stories aired on NPR’s This American Life. Auslander is the author of the short story collection Beware of God, the memoir Foreskin’s Lament, and the novel Hope: A Tragedy. He is the creator of Showtime’s Happyish. He lives in Los Angeles.
© Rachel Turner
The Wedding People
Alison Espach
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A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years―she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan―which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.
In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined―and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
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Alison Espach is the author of the novels The Adults, a New York Times Editors' Choice and a Barnes & Noble Discover pick, and Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, which was named a best book of 2022 by the Chicago Tribune and NPR. Her short stories and essays have appeared in McSweeney’s, Vogue, Outside, Joyland, and other places. She is a professor of creative writing at Providence College in Rhode Island.
© Afonso Salcedo Photography
The Guncle Abroad
Steven Rowley
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Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties . . . this time for a big family wedding in Italy.
Patrick O’Hara is back. It’s been five years since his summer as his niece Maisie and nephew Grant’s caretaker after their mother’s passing. The kids are back in Connecticut with their dad, and Patrick has relocated to New York to remain close by and relaunch his dormant acting career. After the run of his second successful sit-com comes to a close, Patrick feels on top of the world . . . professionally. But some things have had to take a back seat. Looking down both barrels at fifty, Patrick is single again after breaking things off with Emory. But at least he has a family to lean on. Until that family needs to again lean on him.
When Patrick’s brother, Greg, announces he’s getting remarried in Italy, Maisie and Grant are not thrilled. Patrick feels drawn to take the two back under his wing. As they travel through Europe on their way to the wedding, Patrick tries his best to help them understand love, much as he once helped them comprehend grief. But when they arrive in Italy, Patrick is overextended managing a groom with cold feet; his sister, Clara, flirting with guests left and right; a growing rivalry with the kids’ charming soon-to-be-launt (lesbian aunt), and two moody young teens trying to adjust to a new normal, all culminating in a disastrous rehearsal dinner.
Can Patrick save the day? Will teaching the kids about love help him repair his own love life? Can the change of scenery help Patrick come to terms with finally growing up? Gracing the page with his signature blend of humor and heart, Steven Rowley charms with a beloved story about the complicated bonds of family, love, and what it takes to rediscover yourself, even at the ripe age of fifty.
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Steven Rowley is the New York Times bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book; The Editor, an NPR Best Book of the Year; The Guncle, winner of the 2023 Thurber Prize for American Humor in Writing, and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Novel of the Year; The Celebrants, a Today Show Read with Jenna book club pick; The Guncle Abroad, a USA Today bestseller; and The Dogs of Venice. His fiction has been translated into twenty languages. He resides in Palm Springs, California.
Judging is still underway for the 2026 Thurber Prize for American Humor in Cartoon Art.
2026 Event Location, Parking, Attire & Accessibility
Location
The event will take place at the Columbus College of Art & Design’s Canzani Center (60 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH 43215).
Parking
Free parking is available in the lots adjacent to the building. Click here for a map (the Canzani Center is building 1).
Attire
The overall vibe for the event will be funky, fun, colorful, and festive. Standard cocktail attire will be completely appropriate, as well as artsy and playful looks, and anything with festive flair. We encourage our guests to express their own individuality.
Accessibility
All event areas have step-free access. Please contact us if you need to reserve wheelchair seating in the auditorium.
Event Schedule
6:00 pm | Private VIP Reception
Doors open at 5:45 pm.
This private reception in the gallery is open to sponsors, host committee members, VIP ticket holders, and special guests only. Attendees will receive two drink tickets per person.
7:15 pm | Award Show
Doors open for general admission at 6:30 pm.
Grab your beverage of choice from the cash bar, sit back, and let us entertain you!
9:00 pm (ish) | After-Party
All attendees are invited to cap off the evening at our celebratory after-party. We’ll have musical entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and plenty of merriment!
Tickets
General Admission | $60
This ticket includes:
Admission to the award show
Admission to the after-party
The fair market value of this ticket is $30.
VIP Admission | $125
This ticket includes:
Admission to the private VIP reception (with two drink tickets)
Admission to the award show (with reserved seat)
Admission to the after-party
The fair market value of this ticket is $40.
Have questions about the event? Contact us.
Become a Sponsor
Your Thurber Prize sponsorship makes this celebration of excellence in humor possible and powers Thurber House’s year-round programming.
As a sponsor, you’ll meet the Thurber Prize finalists at a lively VIP reception with hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Next, you’ll take your reserved seat for the show, where you’ll laugh (and maybe cry), and cheer on the winners during the live reveal! The good times continue at the after-party in the gallery.
To discuss your perfect sponsorship fit, contact Interim Executive Director Kathy Matthews at kmatthews@thurberhouse.org or 614-412-1177.
Presenting Sponsor: $25,000
Name/logo listed prominently on event collateral
Recognition in remarks, on Thurber House website, eblasts, social media, advertisements, online event calendar listings, and media releases
VIP reception with finalists/special guests (12 tickets)
Premier reserved seats for award show (12 tickets)
Opportunity to present winner check or award
Private VIP tour of historic Thurber House
Custom James Thurber framed print
Complete set of finalist books
The fair market value of this sponsor level is $600.
Premier Sponsor: $15,000
Writing Award Sponsor: $15,000 (Fulfilled)
Cartoon Art Award Sponsor: $15,000 (Fulfilled)
Name/logo featured on event collateral
Recognition in remarks, on Thurber House website, eblasts, and social media
VIP reception with finalists/special guests (10 tickets)
Premier reserved seats for award show (10 tickets)
Opportunity to present winner check or award Private VIP tour of historic Thurber House
Complete set of finalist books or custom James Thurber framed print
The fair market value of each sponsor level is $460.
VIP Reception Sponsor: $10,000
After-Party Sponsor: $10,000
Name/logo featured on event collateral
Recognition in remarks, on Thurber House website, eblasts, and social media
VIP reception with finalists/special guests (8 tickets)
Premier reserved seats for award show (8 tickets)
Private VIP tour of historic Thurber House
Complete set of finalist books or custom James Thurber framed print
The fair market value of each sponsor level is $380.
Laugh ‘Til You Cry Sponsor: $5,000
Name on event collateral
Recognition on Thurber House website and eblasts
VIP reception with finalists/special guests (6 tickets)
Reserved seats for award show (6 tickets)
VIP tour of Thurber House or James Thurber print
The fair market value of this sponsor level is $240.
Laugh Out Loud Sponsor: $2,500
Name on event collateral
Recognition on Thurber House website and eblasts
VIP reception with finalists/special guests (4 tickets)
Reserved seats for award show (4 tickets)
VIP tour of Thurber House or James Thurber print
The fair market value of this sponsor level is $160.
To discuss your perfect sponsorship fit (including custom sponsorships not listed here), contact Interim Executive Director Kathy Matthews at kmatthews@thurberhouse.org or 614-412-1177.
Join the Host Committee
Want to help make the Thurber Prize award show a smashing success?
As a host committee member, you’ll serve as an ambassador for Thurber House, helping promote the Thurber Prize award show and taking on special responsibilities during the event (if you choose). Host committee members gain access to the VIP reception with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, reserved seating for the show, admission to the after-party in the gallery, and an exclusive host committee badge to wear throughout the event.
Your generosity provides significant support for Thurber House’s programs and operations. Join us!
Host Committee Membership: $1,000
Name on event collateral
Recognition on Thurber House website and eblasts
VIP reception with finalists/special guests (2 tickets)
Reserved seats for award show (2 tickets)
VIP tour of Thurber House
Special ambassador responsibilities
The fair market value of host committee membership is $80.
Ambassador Responsibilities
Proudly promote the award show to boost excitement, attendance, and sponsorships
Greet VIP reception guests*
Chaperone a writing finalist, the cartoon art winner, or another VIP during the pre-event reception and introduce them to guests*
Pose guests for the photographer*
Direct VIPs from the reception to the show*
*Ambassador responsibilities at the event are optional.
For questions about the host committee, contact Interim Executive Director Kathy Matthews at kmatthews@thurberhouse.org or 614-412-1177.
2026 Sponsors & Host Committee
Writing Award Sponsor
Anonymous
Cartoon Art Award Sponsor
The Kridler Family Fund of The Columbus Foundation
Laugh ‘Til You Cry Sponsor
Paula Cole & Jake Ledford
Host Committee Members
Anonymous
Lisa Eschleman
Sally Fingerett & Michael Stan
Aman Garcha & Danielle Demko
Elizabeth Howard & Whit Vann
Win & Roberta Logan
Kathy & Doug Matthews
In-Kind Sponsors
Hilton Columbus Downtown
Special Thanks
Jim Reese
(Want to see your name here? Scroll up for sponsor and host committee opportunities!)
Thank you to our major arts supporters:
Disclaimer:
Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by event and program speakers in all mediums are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Thurber House, its affiliates, or its staff/board.