Western History Association- Article and Essay Awards: Deadline April 15, 2020
The Western History Association offers nine article and essay awards, all of which are due by April 15, 2020.
Arrell M. Gibson Award
In recognition of Arrell M. Gibson’s significant role in Native American history, the Indian Territory Posse of Westerners International funds this $500 cash prize for the best essay of the year on the history of Native Americans. No time period or geographic restrictions apply, and essays will be judged on their significance to the field, their contributions to knowledge, and their literary quality.
Arrington-Prucha Prize
In recognition of the role played by Leonard Arrington and Father Francis Paul Prucha in Western American religious history, the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University funds this $500 cash prize for the best essay of the year on religious history in the West. No time period, geographic restrictions, or questions of religious persuasion apply.
Bolton-Cutter Award
The Bolton-Cuter Award recognizes the best article on any phase of the history of the Borderlands, from the Floridas to the Californias, from the sixteenth century to the present, including the northward movement of Spanish-speaking people into the United States. The article can cover recent events, major political, economic, and social developments, cultures, peoples, institutions, and movements, or be broad essays of synthesis or new interpretations. Articles will be judged on scholarship and literary style.
Jensen-Miller Award
The Western History Association offers the Jensen-Miller Award for the best article in the field of women and gender in the North American West. No time period restrictions apply, and essays will be judged on their significance to the field, their contributions to knowledge and their literary quality. The Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University funds this $500 cash prize and provides a plaque to the author of the winning essay. The Coalition for Western Women's History began awarding the Jensen-Award Miller in 1990 and administered the prize until the WHA became the award facilitator in 2009.
Michael P. Malone Award
The Western History Association offers the Michael P. Malone Award for the best article, essay, or commentary on state, provincial, or territorial history in North America appearing in a periodical publication. Articles should concentrate on events of historical significance centering on a state, province, or territory in North America.
Ray Allen Billington Prize
In recognition of the late Ray Allen Billington's leadership in the field of Western history, the Ray Allen Billington Prize was established to recognize the best article (essay of 10,000 words or less) on Western history published in any journal other than the Western Historical Quarterly. The award is $400 to the author and $100 to the journal in which the article was published. The purpose of the award is to encourage authors and editors alike to seek excellence in the field of Western history. To be eligible, an article must deal with a topic relating to the North American West, including Mexico, Canada, and Alaska. Articles will be judged according to (1) the significance of each as a contribution to knowledge; (2) the skill and imaginativeness with which the author has done research in original materials or has reinterpreted some well-known question; (3) the literary quality of the essay.
Vicki L. Ruiz Award
The Vicki Ruiz Award is a $500 prize that recognizes the best article on race in the North American West. The Vicki L. Ruiz Award was funded by the WHA membership along with a generous contribution from the Latinx Studies Program and the Department of History at Penn State University.
For questions regarding awards please contact the individual award committee. Their information is located here: https://www.westernhistory.org/awards Please select the award you in questions to access the committee information. For other questions please contact the WHA Exectutive Assistant, Leah Cargin.
Leah Cargin
Executive Assistant
WHA@WesternHistory.org