Prizes
- Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize
- Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize
- Stuart L. Bernath Article Prize
- Myrna F. Bernath Book Award
- Robert H. Ferrell Book Prize
- Norman and Laura Graebner Award
- The Betty M. Unterberger Dissertation Prize
- The Oxford University Press USA Dissertation Prize in International History
- Robert A. and Barbara Divine Graduate Student Travel Fund
- Arthur S. Link-Warren F. Kuehl Prize for Documentary Editing
The Bernath Memorial Prizes
The Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize, the Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize, the Stuart L. Bernath Scholarly Article Prize, and the Stuart L. Bernath Dissertation Grant were established through the generosity of Dr. Gerald J. and Myrna F. Bernath, in memory of their late son, Stuart L. Bernath, Ph.D.
The Myrna F. Bernath Book Award and the Myrna F. Bernath Fellowship Award were established by the Bernath family to promote scholarship in diplomatic history by women.
The Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize
The purpose of the award is to recognize and encourage distinguished research and writing by scholars of American foreign relations. The prize of $2,500 is awarded annually to an author for his or her first book on any aspect of the history of American foreign relations.
Eligibility: The prize is to be awarded for a first book. The book must be a history of international relations. Biographies of statesmen and diplomats are eligible. General surveys, autobiographies, editions of essays and documents, and works that represent social science disciplines other than history are not eligible.
Procedures: Books may be nominated by the author, the publisher, or any member of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. A nominating letter explaining why the book deserves consideration must accompany each entry in the competition. Books will be judged primarily in regard to their contributions to scholarship. Winning books should have exceptional interpretative and analytical qualities. They should demonstrate mastery of primary material and relevant secondary works, and they should display careful organization and distinguished writing. Five copies of each book must be submitted with a letter of nomination.
The award will be announced during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians. The prize will be divided only when two superior books are so evenly matched that any other decision seems unsatisfactory to the selection committee. The committee will not award the prize if there is no book in the competition which meets the standards of excellence established for the prize.
To nominate a book published in 2009, send five copies of the book and a letter of nomination to SHAFR Bernath Book Prize Committee, Department of History, Ohio State University, 106 Dulles Hall, 230 West 17th Avenue, Columbus OH 43210. Books may be sent at any time during 2009, but must arrive by December 1, 2009.
Recent Winners:
- 2009: Jason Parker, Brother’s Keeper: The United States, Race, and Empire in the British Caribbean, 1937-1962
- 2008: Erez Manela, The Wilsonian Moment: Self-Determination and the International Origins of Anticolonial Nationalism
- 2007: Paul A. Kramer, The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, The United States, & The Philippines
- 2006: Seth Jacobs, America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam: Ngo Dinh Diem, Religion, Race, and U.S. Intervention in Southeast Asia, 1950-1957; Elizabeth Borgwardt, A New Deal for the World: America’s Vision for Human Rights
- 2005: Christopher Endy, Cold War Holidays: American Tourism in France
- 2004: David Engerman, Modernization from the Other Shore: American Intellectuals and the Romance of Russian Development
- 2003: Matthew Connelly, A Diplomatic Revolution: Algeria’s Fight for Independence and the Origins of the Post-Cold War Era
- 2002: Mary Renda, Taking Haiti: Military Occupation and the Culture of U.S. Imperialism, 1915-1940
- 2001: Joseph Henning, Outposts of Civilization: Race, Religion, and the Formative Years of American-Japanese Relations; Gregory Mitrovich, Undermining the Kremlin: America’s Strategy to Subvert the Soviet Bloc, 1947-1956
- 2000: Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Transmission Impossible: American Journalism as Cultural Diplomacy in Postwar Germany, 1945-1955; Fredrik Logevall, Choosing War: The Lost Chance for Peace and the Escalation of War in Vietnam
- 1999: Eric Roorda, The Dictator Next Door: The Good Neighbor Policy and the Trujillo Regime in the Dominican Republic, 1930-1945; Kurkpatrick Dorsey, The Dawn of Conservation Diplomacy: U.S.-Canadian Wildlife Protection Treaties in the Progressive Era
- 1998: Penny Von Eschen, Race Against Empire: Black Americans and Anticolonialism, 1937-1957
- 1997: Carolyn Eisenberg, Drawing the Line: The American Decision to Divide Germany, 1944-1949
- 1996: Robert Buzzanco, Masters of War: Military Dissent and Politics in the Vietnam Era
- 1995: Reinhold Wagnleitner, Coca-colonization and the Cold War: The Cultural Mission of the United States in Austria after the Second World War; James Hershberg, James B. Conant: Harvard to Hiroshima and the Making of the Nuclear Age
- 1994: Tim Borstelmann, Apartheid’s Reluctant Uncle: The United States and Southern Africa in the Early Cold War
- 1993: Elizabeth Cobbs, The Rich Neighbor Policy: Rockefeller and Kaiser in Brazil
- 1992: Thomas Schwartz, America’s Germany: John J. McCloy and the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1991: Gordon Chang, Friends and Enemies: The United States, China, and the Soviet Union, 1948-1972
- 1990: Walter Hixson, George F. Kennan: Cold War Iconoclast; Anders Stephanson, Kennan and the Art of Foreign Policy
The Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize
The Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize recognizes and encourages excellence in teaching and research in the field of foreign relations by younger scholars. The prize of $1000 is awarded annually.
Eligibility: The prize is open to any person under forty-one years of age or within ten years of the receipt of the PhD whose scholarly achievements represent excellence in teaching and research. Nominations may be made by any member of SHAFR or of any other established history, political science, or journalism department or organization.
Procedures: Nominations, in the form of a letter and the nominee’s c.v., should be sent to the Chair of the Bernath Lecture Committee. The nominating letter should discuss evidence of the nominee’s excellence in teaching and research.
The award is announced during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians (OAH). The winner of the prize will deliver a lecture during the SHAFR luncheon at the next year’s OAH annual meeting. The lecture should be comparable in style and scope to a SHAFR presidential address and should address broad issues of concern to students of American foreign policy, not the lecturer’s specific research interests. The lecturer is awarded $1,000 plus up to $500 in travel expenses to the OAH, and his or her lecture is published in Diplomatic History.
To be considered for the 2010 award, nominations must be received by February 28, 2010. Nominations should be sent to Walter Hixson, University of Akron, Department of History, Arts & Science Building 216, 302 Buchtel Common, Akron, OH 44325-1902 (email: whixson@uakron.edu).
Recent Winners:
- 2009 Elizabeth Borgwardt
- 2008 Paul Kramer
- 2007 Max Paul Friedman
- 2006 David Engerman
- 2005 Kristin Hoganson
- 2004 Kurk Dorsey
- 2003 Fredrik Logevall
- 2002 Jussi Hanhimaki
- 2001 Mary Ann Heiss
- 2000 Thomas Zeiler
- 1999 Odd Arne Westad
- 1998 Robert Buzzanco
- 1997 Peter Hahn
- 1996 Elizabeth Cobbs
- 1995 Douglas Brinkley
- 1993 Thomas Schwartz
- 1993 Diane Kunz
- 1992 Larry Berman
- 1991 H.W. Brands
- 1990 Robert McMahon
- 1989 Richard Immerman
- 1988 Stephen G. Rabe
The Stuart L. Bernath Scholarly Article Prize
The purpose of the prize is to recognize and encourage distinguished research and writing by young scholars in the field of diplomatic relations. The prize of $1,000 is awarded annually to the author of a distinguished article appearing in a scholarly journal or edited book, on any topic in United States foreign relations.
Eligibility: The author must be under forty-one years of age or within ten years of receiving the Ph.D. at the time of the article’s acceptance for publication. The article must be among the first six publications by the author. Previous winners of the Stuart L. Bernath Book Award or the Myrna F. Bernath Book Award are ineligible.
Procedures: All articles appearing in Diplomatic History will be automatically considered without nomination. Other nominations may be submitted by the author or by any member of SHAFR.
The award is presented during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.
To nominate an article published in 2009, send three copies of the article and a letter of nomination to Lien-Hang T. Nguyen, University of Kentucky, Department of History, 1715 Patterson Office Tower, Lexington, KY 40506-0027 (e-mail: Hang.Nguyen@uky.edu). Deadline for nominations is February 1, 2010.
Recent Winners:
- 2009 Brian C. Etheridge
- 2008 Brian Delay
- 2007 Sarah Graham
- 2006 Sahr Conway-Lanz
- 2005 Lawrence A. Peskin
- 2004 Max Paul Friedman
- 2003 Amy L. S. Staples
- 2002 Seth Jacobs
- 2001 Joseph Manzione
- 2000 Paul Kramer
- 1999 Robert Dean; Michael Latham
- 1998 Nancy Bernhard
- 1997 Robert Vitalis
- 1996 David Fitzsimons
- 1995 Heike Bungert
- 1994 Fredrik Logevall
- 1993 Daniel P. O’C. Greene
- 1992 Marc Gallicchio
- 1991 William Weeks
- 1990 Lester J. Foltos
- 1989 Robert J. McMahon
The Myrna F. Bernath Book Award
The purpose of this award is to encourage scholarship by women in U.S. foreign relations history. The prize of $2,500 is awarded biannually (even years) to the author of the best book written by a woman in the field and published during the preceding two calendar years.
Eligibility: Nominees should be women who have published distinguished books in U.S. foreign relations, transnational history, international history, peace studies, cultural interchange, and defense or strategic studies. Membership in SHAFR is required.
Procedures: Books may be nominated by the author, the publisher, or any member of SHAFR. A nominating letter explaining why the book deserves consideration must accompany each entry in the competition. Books will be judged primarily in regard to their contribution to scholarship. Three copies of each book (or page proofs) must be submitted with a letter of nomination.
The award is presented during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.
The deadline for nominations for the 2010 prize is December 1, 2009. Submit required materials to Frank Ninkovich, St. Johns University, History Department, St. John Hall Room 244-G, St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439 (email: NINKOVIF@stjohns.edu).
Recent Winners:
- 2008 Barbara Keys, Globalizing Sport: National Rivalry and International Community in the 1930s
- 2006 Victoria de Grazia, Irresistible Empire: America’s Advance through Twentieth-Century Europe
- 2004 Carol Anderson, Eyes off the Prize: The United Nations and the African American Struggle for Human Rights, 1944-1955
- 2002 Linda McFarland, Cold War Strategist: Stuart Symington and the Search for National Security
- 2000 Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Transmission Impossible: American Journalism as Cultural Diplomacy in Postwar Germany, 1945-1955; and Cecelia Lynch, Beyond Appeasement: Interpreting Interwar Peace Movements in World Politics
- 1998 Brenda Gayle Plummer, Rising Wind: Black Americans and U.S. Foreign Affairs, 1935-1960
- 1996 Nancy Bernkopf Tucker, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and The United States, 1945-1992: Uncertain Friendships
- 1991 Diane Kunz, The Economic Diplomacy of the Suez Crisis; and Betty Unterberger, The United States, Revolutionary Russia, and the Rise of Czechoslovakia
Robert H. Ferrell Book Prize
This prize is designed to reward distinguished scholarship in the history of American foreign relations, broadly defined. The prize of $2,500 is awarded annually. The Ferrell Prize was established to honor Robert H. Ferrell, professor of diplomatic history at Indiana University from 1961 to 1990, by his former students.
Eligibility: The Ferrell Prize recognizes any book beyond the first monograph by the author. To be considered, a book must deal with the history of American foreign relations, broadly defined. Biographies of statesmen and diplomats are eligible. General surveys, autobiographies, or editions of essays and documents are not eligible.
Procedures: Books may be nominated by the author, the publisher, or any member of SHAFR. Three copies of the book must be submitted.
The award is announced during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.
The deadline for nominating books published in 2009 is December 15, 2009. Submit books to Robert J. McMahon, Department of History, Ohio State University, 106 Dulles Hall, 230 West 17th Avenue, Columbus OH 43210 (email: mcmahon.121@osu.edu).
Recent Winners:
- 2009 George Herring, From Colony to Superpower: U.S. Foreign Relations since 1776
- 2008 James F. Goode, Negotiating for the Past: Archaeology, Nationalism, and Diplomacy in the Middle East, 1919-1941.
- 2007 Robert L. Beisner, Dean Acheson: A Life in the Cold War
- 2006 Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan
- 2005 Kenton J. Clymer, The United States and Cambodia
- 2004 William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era
- 2003 Piero Gleijeses, Conflicting Missions: Havana, Washington, and Africa, 1959-1976
- 2000 Marc Gallicchio, The African American Encounter with Japan and China: Black Internationalism in Asia, 1895-1945
- 1999 Emily Rosenberg, Financial Missionaries to the World: The Politics and Culture of Dollar Diplomacy, 1900-1930
- 1998 Jeffrey Kimball, Nixon’s Vietnam War
- 1997 Robert Schulzinger, A Time for War: The United States and Vietnam, 1941-1975
- 1995 Norman Saul, Concord and Conflict: The United States and Russia, 1867-1914
- 1994 John Lamberton Harper, American Visions of Europe: Franklin D. Roosevelt, George F. Kennan, and Dean G. Acheson
- 1993 no winner
- 1992 Mel Leffler, A Preponderance of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration, and the Cold War
- 1991 David Anderson, Trapped By Success: The Eisenhower Administration and Vietnam, 1953-1961; Diane Kunz, The Economic Diplomacy of the Suez Crisis
The Norman and Laura Graebner Award
The Graebner Award is a lifetime achievement award intended to recognize a senior historian of United States foreign relations who has significantly contributed to the development of the field, through scholarship, teaching, and/or service, over his or her career. The award of $2,000 is awarded biannually. The Graebner Award was established by the former students of Norman A. Graebner, professor of diplomatic history at the University of Illinois and the University of Virginia, to honor Norman and his wife Laura for their years of devotion to teaching and research in the field.
Eligibility: The Graebner prize will be awarded to a distinguished scholar of diplomatic or international affairs. The recipient’s career must demonstrate excellence in scholarship, teaching, and/or service to the profession. Although the prize is not restricted to academic historians, the recipient must have distinguished himself or herself through the study of international affairs from a historical perspective.
Procedures: Letters of nomination, submitted in triplicate, should (a) provide a brief biography of the nominee, including educational background, academic or other positions held, and awards and honors received; (b) list the nominee’s major scholarly works and discuss the nature of his or her contribution to the study of diplomatic history and international affairs; (c) describe the candidate’s career, note any teaching honors and awards, and comment on the candidate’s classroom skills; and (d) detail the candidate’s services to the historical profession, listing specific organizations and offices and discussing particular activities. Self-nominations are accepted.
Graebner awards are announced at SHAFR’s annual meeting.The next deadline for nominations is March 1, 2010. Submit materials to Marc Gallicchio, Department of History, Villanova University, 403 St. Augustine Center, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085 (e-mail: marc.gallicchio@villanova.edu).
Recent winners:
- 2008 Thomas G. Paterson
- 2006 Gary R. Hess
- 2004 Warren I. Cohen
- 2002 George Herring
- 2000 Robert Divine
- 1998 Robert Ferrell
- 1996 Walter LaFeber
- 1994 Wayne Cole
- 1992 Bradford Perkins
- 1990 Richard W. Leopold
- 1988 Alexander DeConde
The Betty M. Unterberger Dissertation Prize
The Betty M. Unterberger Prize is intended to recognize and encourage distinguished research and writing by graduate students in the field of diplomatic history. The Prize of $1,000 is awarded biannually (in odd years) to the author of a dissertation, completed during the previous two calendar years, on any topic in United States foreign relations history. The Prize is announced at the annual SHAFR conference.
The Prize was established in 2004 to honor Betty Miller Unterberger, a founder of SHAFR and long-time professor of diplomatic history at Texas A&M University.
Procedures: A dissertation may be submitted for consideration by the author or by the author’s advisor. Three copies of the dissertation should be submitted, along with a cover letter explaining why the dissertation deserves consideration.
Directions for submission of dissertations for the 2011 Unterberger Prize will be posted here in late 2010.
Recent Winners:
- 2009 Gregory R. Domber, George Washington University
- 2007 Jennifer Heckard, University of Connecticut
- 2005 Jonathan Winkler, Yale University
The Oxford University Press USA Dissertation Prize in International History
The Oxford University Press USA Dissertation Prize in International History recognizes the best dissertation writing by a rising historian who has completed a research project defined as international history. The Prize of $1,000 is awarded biannually (in even years) to the author of a dissertation, completed during the previous two calendar years.
For a dissertation to qualify, the research must be multinational in framing and scope, and there will be a preference for works that have a multilingual source base. In endowing this prize, Oxford University Press hopes to recognize the stellar work of junior scholars and to highlight works that have not been the focus of area studies and other regional and national approaches. Winners will be invited to submit the resulting manuscript to Oxford University Press USA for a formal reading for possible publication. The authors must be members of SHAFR at the time of submission.
The Prize is announced at the annual SHAFR conference (even years).
Procedures: A dissertation may be submitted for consideration by the author or by the author’s advisor. Three copies of the dissertation should be submitted, along with a cover letter explaining why the dissertation deserves consideration.
To be considered for the 2010 award, nominations and supporting materials must be received by February 28, 2010. Submit materials to Joyce S. Goldberg, Department of History, Box 19529, 202 University Hall, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019-0529.
Robert A. and Barbara Divine Graduate Student Travel Fund
The Robert A. and Barbara Divine Graduate Student Travel Fund was established in 2006 to honor Professor and Mrs. Robert A. Divine. A long-time professor at the University of Texas, Bob Divine made a deep impact on the field of U.S. foreign relations history through his numerous, influential books and articles and his careful attention to the education of graduate students. The Divine Fund supports the travel of graduate students who are presenting papers at the annual meetings of SHAFR.
When submitting a paper proposal to a SHAFR annual meeting Program Committee, graduate students in need of travel assistance should indicate their interest in financial support from the Divine Fund. The Program Committee will evaluate those applications and allocate the available funds. The total amount of funding available each year varies, as do the specific awards given. (The Program Committee makes decisions about paper proposals strictly on their merits, and without regard to financial needs indicated.)
Application procedures and details are publicized in each annual Call For Papers for the annual meeting.
Arthur S. Link-Warren F. Kuehl Prize for Documentary Editing
The Link-Kuehl Prize is awarded for outstanding collections of primary source materials in the fields of international or diplomatic history, especially those distinguished by the inclusion of commentary designed to interpret the documents and set them within their historical context. Published works as well as electronic collections and audio-visual compilations are eligible. The prize is not limited to works on American foreign policy, but is open to works on the history of international, multi-archival, and/or American foreign relations, policy, and diplomacy.
The award of $1,000 is presented biannually (odd years) to the best work published during the preceding two calendar years. The award is announced at the SHAFR luncheon during the annual meeting of the American Historical Association.
Procedures: Nominations may be made by any person or publisher. Send three copies of the book or other work with letter of nomination to Jeffrey P. Kimball, Miami University, Department of History, Rm 254 Upham Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056 (e-mail: jpkimball@muohio.edu). To be considered for the 2011 prize, nominations must be received by November 15, 2010.
Winners of the Link-Kuehl Award:
- 2009 David C. Geyer and Douglas E. Selvage, eds., Soviet-American Relations: the Détente Years, 1969-1972.
- 2005 Jeffrey P. Kimball, The Vietnam War Files: Uncovering the Secret History of Nixon Era Strategy.
Past Winners of the Former Kuehl Award:
- 2003 Harriet Hyman Alonso, Growing Up Abolitionist
- 2001 Fredrik Logevall, Choosing War: The Lost Chance for Peace and the Escalation of War in Vietnam
- 1999 Frances Early, A World Without War: How U.S. Feminists and Pacifists Resisted World War I
- 1995 Lawrence S. Wittner, One World or None: A History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement through 1953
- 1993 Thomas Knock, To End All Wars: Woodrow Wilson and the Quest for a New World Order
- 1991 Charles DeBenedetti and Charles Chatfield, The Antiwar Movement of the Vietnam Era
- 1988 Melvin Small, Johnson, Nixon, and the Doves
- 1987 Harold Josephson, Biographical Dictionary of Modern Peace Leaders
Past Winners of the Former Link Prize:
- 2001 Warren Kimball, Churchill and Roosevelt: The Complete Correspondence
- 1996 John C.A. Stagg, et al., The Papers of James Madison: Secretary of State Series, Volume 2
- 1991 Justus Doenecke, In Danger Undaunted: The Anti-Interventionist Movement for 1940-1941 as Revealed in the Papers of the America First Committee