Prizes | RHS

The Royal Historical Society awards a number of prizes each year to recognise outstanding historical scholarship and achievement. The awards celebrate everything from the best performance by an ‘A’ level student to the best first book by an early career researcher.

We are now accepting nominations for the 2021 Awards. Applications currently open (22 April – 4 June 2021) for the RHS Teaching Awards.
Find details of all RHS prizes and deadlines below.

RHS Awards 2020

The winners of all the 2020 RHS Publication, Fellowship and Teaching Awards, as well as our joint awards with the Institute of Historical Research, were announced in a virtual online ceremony on Wednesday 22 July.

Read the full citations and details of all the winners.
Watch videos of all our 2020 Whitfield and Gladstone Prize shortlisted authors discussing their books.

RHS Annual Prizes

Rees Davies Prize. An annual Prize of £250 for an outstanding Master’s dissertation submitted by a UK institution of Higher Education. Winners may be invited to submit an article based on the dissertation to be considered for publication in Transactions of the RHS. Deadline for nominations: 31 January.
Gladstone Prize. An annual Prize of £1,000 for a work of history on a topic not primarily related to British history that is the author’s first sole book publication. Deadline for nominations: 31 December.
Whitfield Book Prize. An annual Prize of £1,000 for a work on British or Irish history that is the author’s first sole book publication. Deadline for nominations: 31 December.
Alexander Prize. An annual Prize of £250 for an essay or article based on original historical research, by a doctoral candidate or those recently awarded their doctorate, published in a journal or an edited collection of essays. Deadline for nominations: 31 December.
David Berr y Prize. An annual Prize of £250 for the best published or unpublished essay addressing an aspect of Scottish history. Deadline for nominations: 31 December.
Frampton & Beazley Prizes – an annual award of £100 for the best performance in the History A-Level and Advanced Higher examinations of each of the examining boards in the United Kingdom.
The Jinty Nelson Award for Inspirational Teaching and Supervision in History. An annual award of £1,000 usually to an individual historian. Nominations for 2021 are now open: deadline for applications, Friday 4 June 2021.
The Royal Historical Society Innovation in Teaching Award. An annual award of £1,000, either to an individual or to a group of historians working in collaboration. Nominations for 2021 are now open: deadline for applications, Friday 4 June 2021.
The Royal Historical Society History Today Prize. Jointly sponsored with History Today, for the best undergraduate final-year dissertation. Prize of £250 and consideration for publication in a future issue of the magazine.
The Royal Historical Society History Scotland Prize. Jointly sponsored by the Society and History Scotland, for an undergraduate dissertation on any aspect of Scottish history. Prize of £250 and consideration for publication in a future issue of the magazine.