To the many honors already heaped on literary sensation Dave Eggers, add one more: a 2008 TED Prize.

Unlike the bestselling author's other accolades—which include being a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius—he didn't win this award because of his artistic merits. Judges chose Eggers, TED organizers say, because of his passion for improving public education and his leadership potential, to inspire others to help him change the world.

In 2002, Eggers started 826 Valencia, a nonprofit center in San Francisco that provides free tutoring, writing workshops, and school literacy programs for students from first grade through high school. The organization now has seven chapters, from Los Angeles to New York.

Aside from writing What Is the What, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Eggers also co-wrote, as an advocate, Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers.

While editing McSweeney's—a literary journal that won last year's National Magazine Award for publishing the best fiction in the business—Eggers launched a program providing grants to outstanding teachers.

"Dave Eggers is an absolutely brilliant writer," says Chris Anderson, curator of TED, an annual conference of tech gurus, C.E.O.'s, artists, scientists, and other thought leaders exploring ideas for changing the world.

"But what's amazing about him," Anderson added, "is he could have easily spent his career just creating ever more spectacular and successful books. He's devoted a huge amount of his energy to promoting engagement in public schools ... to materially make a difference in how thousands of kids are growing up."

Like other winners, Eggers will receive $100,000 and the opportunity to make a wish aimed at making the world a better place. He will announce his wish at the upcoming conference, which starts on February 27.

See Portfolio.com's full coverage of the 2008 TED Conference.