Judith Gelber, Chair of the Lionel Gelber Prize Board, has announced that the 2026 Lionel Gelber Prize has been awarded to Thinking Historically: A Guide to Statecraft and Strategy by Francis J. Gavin, published by Yale University Press. Selected by an international panel of journalists, practitioners, and scholars, the prize recognizes the best English-language book on global affairs each year. It is presented by the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, with the winner receiving a $50,000 award.

Janice Gross Stein, Chair of the jury, praised the book as especially relevant in today’s climate of overlapping global crises and uncertainty. She highlighted how Gavin demonstrates the value of historical thinking in revealing insights that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The winning book was chosen from a strong shortlist that included King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion, and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson; Capitalism: A Global History by Sven Beckert; House of Huawei: The Secret History of China’s Most Powerful Company by Eva Dou; and How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation and the Fate of Nations by Carl Benedikt Frey.

The 2026 jury consisted of Janice Gross Stein (Chair), John Bew, Sergey Radchenko, James Steinberg, and Nina Srinivasan Rathbun.

In its citation, the jury described Gavin’s work as a deeply insightful yet accessible exploration of historical thinking. Rather than focusing on history as a series of events, the book emphasizes a broader historical mindset—one that embraces complexity, uncertainty, and multiple perspectives. The jury noted that Gavin encourages readers to move beyond simple, linear explanations and instead engage with interconnected causes and evolving interpretations. Through a series of thoughtfully crafted chapters, the book fosters greater empathy and understanding, offering valuable perspective on contemporary global challenges. The jury even suggested it surpasses E.H. Carr’s The Twenty Years’ Crisis in helping readers make sense of today’s world.

The Lionel Gelber Prize ceremony and lecture are scheduled for 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

Established in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber, the prize is awarded annually by the Lionel Gelber Prize Board in partnership with the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto. The award carries a cash prize of $50,000 CAD.

Click here to register online.

Earlier this month, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) launched its fifth global research and co-innovation center, TCS Pace Port TM in Toronto to enable Canadian companies to increase the turnaround of their digital innovations.

Situated on the top floor of 400 University Avenue TCS’s Pace Port Toronto provides companies with access to the latest technologies and breakthroughs stemming from TCS Research labs, startups, VCs, entrepreneurs, and academia including the University of Toronto, as well as TCS’ network of Pace Ports in New York, Pittsburgh, Amsterdam, and Tokyo.
By plugging into this ecosystem of innovations and intellectual property through the company’s Co-Innovation Network (COINTM), Canadian companies can embrace a hybrid approach to collaborative innovation to increase the pace of transformation in their respective industries.

TCS’s Pace Port Toronto features a training space, an agile workspace, an academic research lab, as well as an innovation showcase to encourage rapid prototyping, research, and commercializing of advanced technologies.

In order to support its local partners, TCS also announced a $1,000,000 CAD gift to the University of Toronto’s Urban Data Centre at the School of Cities, earmarking it for supporting the building of smart cities.

“TCS Pace Port Toronto is an incredible addition to the city’s flourishing tech landscape. Today’s announcement makes clear that Canada is a global leader when it comes to innovation, and we are pleased to see TCS bring their world-class innovations and services here to Toronto,” said Canada’s Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne.

“Our government is committed to making Ontario a more attractive place for businesses to invest and create jobs. TCS Pace Ports bring together co-innovation networks of over 2,600 start-up and industry partners, to drive innovation and create the right conditions for our businesses and job creators to invest, grow and attract investment all across Ontario,” said Victor Fedeli, Canada’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

“Establishing a Pace Port in Toronto – North America’s fastest growing tech market -- is part of a long-term TCS strategic plan for Canada that includes innovation labs, growing and reskilling our workforce, and our ongoing work with schools to support STEM education,” said Ananth Krishnan, TCS’s Chief Technology Officer.

“By leveraging the power of a global collaborative partner ecosystem, technology partners, academia, and the best of TCS research and innovation, Pace Port Toronto will help local Canadian companies to more quickly transform their businesses with digital technology,” said Soumen Roy, Country Head, TCS Canada.