The Pennsylvania Historical Association (PHA) annually bestows the William A. Pencak Award for the best undergraduate research paper about Pennsylvania and/or Mid-Atlantic history.
The award, named for Bill Pencak (1951–2013), a prolific scholar and much-loved Penn State University history professor and former Editor of Pennsylvania History, honors the academic year’s best written undergraduate paper in history and history-related fields such as archeology, museum studies, archives, and historic preservation.