Book and Article Prizes

The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians awards two annual book and article prizes in the following categories:

A first book that deals substantially with the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality.
A first book in any field of history that does not focus on the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality.
An article in the fields of the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality.
An article in any field of history other than the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality.

Eligibility is limited to books and articles published in the prior calendar year by any female historian or historian who identifies as a woman and is normally resident in North America.

The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Book Prize

Description of Prizes

We invite publishers and authors to submit books published in the year 2023 for consideration for the Berkshire Conference Book Prizes.

The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians annually awards two book prizes:

For a first book that deals substantially with the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality.
For a first book in any field of history that does not focus on the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality.

Eligibility

Awards are for a first book, so the author may not have previously published any other book-length work.
A nominated book must be written by a historian normally resident in North America.
The Berks Prizes are open to any female historian or historian who identifies as a woman.
Submissions must be published between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023.
Textbooks, juvenile literature, documentary collections, fiction, poetry, and collections of essays are not eligible for either prize.

Nomination Instructions

Complete the nomination form.
The deadline for nominations closes on March 31, 2024.
One copy of the nominated book must be sent directly to each of the Berkshire Book Prize Committee members; the contact information will be sent to you after a nomination is submitted.
Bound page proofs may be submitted for books to be published after November 1, 2023 and before January 1, 2024. If a bound page proof is submitted, committee members must also receive a copy of the book by March 31, 2024.
All nominations, whether books or page proofs, must be postmarked by or on March 31, 2024 in order to be eligible for the prize.
The awards for books published in 2023 will be announced at the Berkshire Conference Annual Meeting in 2024. Each winning author shall also receive a $1,000 award.

2023 Reviewers: Berks Book Award Committee

Julie de Chantal, Chair, Georgia Southern University
Ashley Baggett, North Dakota State University
Tatiana Seijas, Rutgers University
Elisabeth Davis, Transylvania University
Anna Krylova, Duke University
Sanjam Ahluwalia, Northern Arizona University
Caroline Waldron, University of Dayton
Stephanie M. Chalifoux, University of West Georgia

For information about the Book Prize, please direct your questions to Dr. Julie de Chantal, bookprizes@berksconference.org

Explore previous Book Prize Winners

Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Article Prize

The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians awards two annual article prizes in the following categories:

An article in the fields of the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality.
An article in any field of history other than the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality.

Eligibility is limited to an article published in the prior calendar year (2023) by a female historian or historian who identifies as a woman normally resident in North America. Articles may be nominated by journal editors or by the author herself. Journals may nominate more than one article, but no more than three. Jointly published articles are acceptable, as are articles that have appeared in collections, but only if they were published for the first time in 2023. They must not be reprints of articles published in previous years.

Winners are notified in early summer and will be publicly acknowledged in an official announcement on the Berkshire Conference website and other public sites. Each winning author shall also receive a $500 award.