The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians awards four annual prizes recognizing outstanding historical scholarship by women or gender-marginalized historians based in North America. Prizes are given for first books and scholarly articles in two categories: those focusing on the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality, and those in other fields of history. Eligible works must have been published in the previous calendar year.
Annual Book Prizes
The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians awards two annual book prizes recognizing outstanding first books by women or gender-marginalized historians based in North America. One prize honors a first book that substantially engages with the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality, while the other recognizes a first book in any other field of history. To be eligible, books must be the author’s first book-length publication, written by a historian who identifies as a woman and is normally resident in North America. Textbooks, juvenile literature, documentary collections, fiction, poetry, and essay collections are not eligible. For the 2025 prize cycle, submissions must be published between January 1 and December 31, 2025. Nominations must be submitted via the official form, and one copy of the nominated book must be sent to each prize committee member (contact details provided upon submission). Bound page proofs are accepted for forthcoming titles, but final copies must be received by March 31, 2026. All nominations must be postmarked by March 31, 2026. Winners will be announced by the end of 2026, and each prize includes a $1,000 award. For information about the Book Prize, please direct your questions to Dr. Julie de Chantal, bookprizes@Annual Article Prizes
The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians awards two annual article prizes: one for an article focused on the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality, and one for an article in any other field of history. Eligible articles must be published in 2025 by a resident in North America. Nominations may be submitted by journal editors (up to three per journal) or by the authors themselves. Jointly authored articles and articles published in edited collections are eligible, provided they appear in print for the first time in 2025 and are not reprints. Winners will be notified in early summer and publicly recognized on the Berkshire Conference website and other platforms. Each prize includes a $500 award. Questions should be directed to Dr. Katrina Gulliver, articleprize@berksconference.
CCWH/Berks Graduate Student Fellowship
The CCWH / Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Graduate Student Fellowship is a $1000 award to a graduate student completing a dissertation in a history department. The award is intended to support either a crucial stage of research or the final year of writing.
The applicant must be a graduate student historian in a history department in a U.S. institution; must have passed to A.B.D. status by the time of application; may specialize in any field of history; may hold this award and others simultaneously; and need not attend the award ceremony to receive the award.