American journalist Glenn Greenwald collected one of Germany's most coveted literary accolades for his book, "No Place To Hide," on Monday evening in Munich. It's news that could ruffle a few feathers in the corridors of power in Washington. Greenwald shot to prominence for his part in the 2013 publication of documents leaked by former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden in the UK's "The Guardian."

Spending six weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, "No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the US Surveillance State" documents Greenwald's meetings with Snowden as well as the global consequences of America's monitoring program and his own part in the disclosures.

Proclaiming the work "enlightening," the Geschwister-Scholl Prize jury said Greenwald has showed "considerable courage" in his part in the NSA revelations, and through the book's publication the world has achieved "a more detailed insight into the dangers of our time."

The Geschwister-Scholl Prize (literally, Scholl Siblings Prize) is awarded in honor of brother and sister Sophie and Hans Scholl, both members of the White Rose student group which staged a non-violent resistance against Nazi Germany. They were imprisoned by the Nazis and executed in 1943 at the age of 21 and 24, respectively.

Previous recipients of the prize include Chinese writer Liao Yiwu, former East German civil rights activist, current German President Joachim Gauck, controversial Israeli author David Grossman, and Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who received the award posthumously in 2007.

The award was founded in 1980 and each year recognizes a book which shows "intellectual independence" and champions civil freedoms and moral courage.

jt/kbm (dpa/geschwister-scholl-preis.de)