2026 Medalists

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OUTSTANDING BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Out of all 2026 Illumination entries, these Outstanding Books of the Year rose to the top for their inspiring messages and excellence, earning Gold Medals.

GOLD

Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs by Neri Karra Sillaman (Wiley)

GOLD

The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation by Phil Le-Brun & Jana Werner (Harvard Business Review Press)

GOLD

Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns to Build More than Just Communities by Nilanjana Dasgupta (Yale University Press)

GOLD

Restoring Our Sanity Online: A Revolutionary Social Framework by Mark Weinstein (Wiley)

GENERAL CATEGORIES

  • GOLD: A Day for Leadership: Business Insights for Today’s Executives and Teams from the D-Day Battle by Patrick A. Ungashick (Fast Company Press)
  • SILVER: Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market: Correcting the Systemic Failures of Shareholder Capitalism by Andrew J. Hoffman (Stanford Business Books)
  • BRONZE: Future: How Adaptive Leaders Anticipate Change, Decode Signals, and Build What Comes Next by Christina Diane Warner (Independently Published)
  • GOLD: All Physicians Lead: Redefining Physician Leadership for Better Patient Outcomes by Leon E. Moores (Forbes Books)
  • SILVER: The Golden Age of Bull$hit by Mario Tufano (GABS Media LLC)
  • BRONZE: The Creative CTO: Intuitive Technology Leadership for the Modern Enterprise by James Boyd Adams (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • GOLD: 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History–and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin (Viking)
  • SILVER: How Economy Works: Breaking Myths, Understanding Wealth, and Taking Control of Your Financial Future by George Adamides FCCA (Independently Published)
  • BRONZE: The Rise of Indigenous Economic Power by Carol Anne Hilton (New Society Publishers)
  • GOLD: Warrior to Civilian: The Field Manual for the Heroes Journey by LT (SEAL) Rob Sarver and Alex Gendzier (Balance)
  • SILVER: Returning Well: A guide for working parents and their managers by Kirstie Sneyd (De Gruyter Brill)
  • BRONZE: Attract, Retain, and Develop: Shaping a Skilled Workforce for the Future by Nicholas Wyman (Fast Company Press)
  • GOLD: Store Traffic is a Gift by Mark Ryski (Greenleaf Book Group Press)
  • SILVER: Negotiation: The Game Has Changed by Max H. Bazerman (Princeton University Press)
  • BRONZE (tie): More Sales Please by Sara Dalrymple (Practical Inspiration Publishing)
  • BRONZE (tie): Myths vs. Science of Selling: When Research Reveals the Opposite of Common Belief by Lorenzo Bizzi, Ph.D. (Ulisse LLC)
  • GOLD (tie): The Leader-Shift Playbook by Phillip B. Wilson (Fast Company Press)
  • GOLD (tie): Practical Leadership by Janet Ply, PhD (Pendére Press)
  • SILVER: The Engagement Effect by Steve Spangler (Forefront Books)
  • BRONZE: Lead Like You Mean It: Lessons on Integrity and Purpose from the C-Suite by Laysha Ward (The Open Field)
  • GOLD (tie): The Relationship-Driven Leader: Strengthening Connections to Enhance Productivity by Dr. Karen Bridbord (Agate Publishing)
  • GOLD (tie): The Curiosity Curve: A Leader’s Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Questions by Dr. Debra Clary (Fast Company Press)
  • SILVER: The Seismic Shift in You: The Seven Necessary Shifts to Create Connection and Drive Results by Michelle K. Johnston and Marshall Goldberg (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • BRONZE: Deliberate Creative Teams by Amy Climer, PhD (Page Two)
  • GOLD: Personal Branding for Introverts by Goldie Chan (Basic Venture)
  • SILVER: Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success by Ruchika T. Malhotra (Viking)
  • BRONZE: Team: Getting Things Done with Others by David Allen and Edward Lamont (Viking)
  • GOLD: From Founder to Future: A Business Road Map to Impact, Longevity, and Employee Ownership by John Abrams (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc)
  • SILVER: Redesigning Value: A Practical Manifesto for Designers and Organizations by David Dunne, Chris Ferguson and Paolo Korre (Rotman-UTP Publishing)
  • BRONZE: Radical Doubt: Turning Uncertainty into Surefire Success by Bidhan L. Parmar (Diversion Books)
  • GOLD: The CX Imperative: Five Strategic Practices for Renewal of the Customer-Centered Enterprise by Mark Fithian & Jeff Rosenberg (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • SILVER: Beyond Eureka!: The Rocky Roads to Innovating by Marylene Delbourg-Delphis (Georgetown University Press)
  • BRONZE: INNOVATOR: 10 simple steps to innovate with speed, scale and confidence byTom Pullen (Practical Inspiration Publishing)
  • GOLD: Flash Teams by Melissa Valentine and Michael S. Bernstein (The MIT Press)
  • SILVER: Disrupt Everything – and WIN by James Patterson and Patrick Leddin, PhD (Little, Brown and Company)
  • BRONZE: Aftershock To 2030: A CEO’s Guide to Reinvention in the Age of AI, Climate, and Societal Collapse by Caroline Stokes (Broad Book Press)
  • GOLD: Designing for Diversity: Developing Inclusive and Equitable Talent Management Processes by Binna Kandola (Kogan Page)
  • SILVER: Hidden Value: How to Reveal the Impact of Organizational Learning by Dr. Keith Keating (JetLaunch Publishing)
  • BRONZE: The Meritocracy Paradox by Emilio J. Castilla (Columbia University Press)
  • GOLD: The Purposeful Decision Maker: A Guide to Making Great Decisions in Life and Business by Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • SILVER: Reaching the Chasm by Anita Mendiratta (The Anita Mendiratta Foundation)
  • BRONZE: Unconvention: A Small Business Strategy Guide by Sri Kaza (IdeaPress Publishing)
  • GOLD: How to Change the World by Jo Owen (Bloomsbury Business)
  • SILVER: Technology for Good: How Nonprofit Leaders Are Using Software and Data to Solve Our Most Pressing Social Problems by Jim Fruchterman (MIT Press)
  • BRONZE: The School in the Market: How Localization Is Helping Africans Start Their Own Education Revolution by Irene Pritzker (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • GOLD: The Catalysts: The Accelerating Forces Forging the New World Financial Order by Amanda Wick (Racket Publishing)
  • SILVER (tie): Upstart: How China Became a Great Power by Oriana Skylar Mastro (Oxford University Press)
  • SILVER (tie):SuperEurope: The Unexpected Hero of the 21st Century by Arturo Bris (Independently Published)
  • BRONZE: The Great Disruption: How Geopolitics is Changing Companies, Managers, and Work by Srividya Jandhyala (Cambridge University Press)
  • GOLD (tie): The Money Puzzle by Austin Cheviron (Made for Success)
  • GOLD (tie): Financial Epiphany by Scott Yamamura (Created to Create)
  • SILVER: Beginner’s Guide To Growing Wealth And Investing: Planting Seeds & Growing Riches by Dr. Stacker (Stackers University, LLC)
  • BRONZE: Your Future Is Now Your Blueprint For Solving Your Retirement Puzzle by Jeffrey Panik, MSFS, CFP (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • GOLD: Vibe Coding:Building Production-Grade Software With GenAI, Chat, Agents, and Beyond by Gene Kim and Steve Yegge (IT Revolution)
  • SILVER: Automata: The Power of AI Integrated with Advanced Robotics by Ibrahim Gedeon and Kyle Murray (University of Toronto Press)
  • BRONZE: Dr. Bot: Why Doctors Can Fail Us—and How AI Could Save Lives by Charlotte Blease (Yale University Press)
  • GOLD (tie): Human Edge in the AI Age – Eight Timeless Mantras for Success by Nitin Seth (Incedo, Inc.)
  • GOLD (tie): AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor (Princeton University Press)
  • SILVER: The AI-Centered Enterprise: Reshaping Organizations with Context Aware AI by Ram Bala, Natarajan Balasubramanian, and Amit Joshi (CRC Press)
  • BRONZE: Raising AI: An Essential Guide to Parenting Our Future by De Kai (MIT Press)
  • GOLD: The Adventures of Women in Tech: Navigating the Hard Tech Era (Second Edition) by Alana Karen (Wise Ink)
  • SILVER: UP!: The Playbook for Every Woman on the Rise by Kelly Mooney with Katy Mooney (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • BRONZE: Rise: Game-Changing Success Strategies for Women Leaders by Jackie Stallings Evans (Sumter Press)
  • GOLD: Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work by Kathy Oneto (Greenleaf Book Group Press)
  • SILVER: The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What we Criticize Can Improve Our Lives by Michael Hallsworth (MIT Press)
  • BRONZE: Must: Becoming the Person You Are Meant to Be by Stephen Rue (Houndstooth Press)
  • GOLD: Outmarket the Competition: Advanced Marketing Tactics to Drive Growth and Profitability by Nick Doyle (Greenleaf Book Group)
  • SILVER: Exceptional Experiences by Neen James (Page Two)
  • BRONZE: Responsible Marketing: How to Create an Authentic and Inclusive Marketing Strategy by Lola Bakare (KoganPage)
  • GOLD: The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip by Stephen Witt (Viking)
  • SILVER: The Fairfax Way: Inside Prem Watsa’s Secret to Lasting Success by David Thomas (Viking)
  • BRONZE: Rheem: Next Starts Now by Alina Tugend (Echo Storytelling Agency)
  • GOLD: American Family Farmland by Johnny Klemme (Niche Pressworks)
  • SILVER: Rookie Real Estate Agent by Jay Papasan (Keller Ink)
  • BRONZE: Super Properties: Your Step-by-Step Guide​ to Making $250,000 Per Year​ from Airbnbs with​ One Up-Front Investment by Bill Faeth (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • GOLD: Flow Engineering: From Value Stream Mapping to Effective Action by Steve Pereira & Andrew Davis (IT Revolution) 
  • SILVER: Predictable Winners by Stuart E. Jackson and Illya Trakhtenberg (Stanford University Press)
  • BRONZE: Getting Funded: The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals, 7th Edition by Renee Bourque, MEd, GPC (BSGC Media)
  • GOLD: Making It Big: Lessons from A Life In Business by Femi Otedola (FO Books)
  • SILVER: Gimme a Crisis: In the Room with Global Banker Rick Waugh by Howard Green (Penguin Random House Canada)
  • BRONZE: The Many Names of Robert Cree by Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood (ECW Press)
  • GOLD: The Strategy Dialogues: A Primer on Business Strategy and Strategic Management by John Hillen (econcise)
  • SILVER: Global Game Changers: 50 Stories of Impact and Innovation by Yana Bijoor (Independently Published)
  • BRONZE: Business Beyond Borders: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World by Dean Foster (John Murray Business)
  • GOLD: Joyosity: How to Cultivate Intense Happiness in Work & Life (Even If Things Are What They Are) by Jenn Whitmer (Ideapress Publishing)
  • SILVER: Regenerative Performance: How to Thrive in an Always-On World Without Sacrificing Your Well-Being by Dr. James Hewitt (Amplify Publishing Group) 
  • BRONZE(tie): The New Life Blueprint: A 21st Century Guide for Success, Health, Wealth, and Happiness in a Complex World by Dr. Natalia Peart (Forbes Books)
  • BRONZE (tie): Alignment: A Montessori Approach to Reimagining Work-Life Balance by Katie Keller Wood (Page Two)
  • GOLD: The Wisdom of Ignorance: Why Not Knowing Can Be the Key to Innovation in an Uncertain World by Alan Gregerman (Amplify Publishing Group)
  • SILVER: Emotional Capital for the Triple Win by Elena V. Amber (Practical Inspiration Publishing)
  • BRONZE (tie): Drawing Out Your Genius: Use Visual Thinking to Sell Ideas, Drive By-In, and Lead Change by Lisa Rothstein (Creativity to Cash Press)
  • BRONZE (tie): The Answer Trap: Why we stop thinking when it matters most and how to break free by Kate Christiansen (Handson Media)
  • GOLD: Working Hell to Working Well: Making Your Company Work For You by Lindsay K. Barnett (Authors On Mission) 
  • SILVER: The Day One Executive: A Guidebook to Stand Out in Your Career Starting Now by April Armstrong (Manuscripts LLC)
  • BRONZE: The DAF Revolution: Making a Difference in Our Modern World by Ted Hart (Hart Philanthropy Press)
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