Prizes and Awards

Entries must be received by July 1, 2023

Phi Alpha Theta awards six prizes annually for outstanding papers written by members of the honor society:

•The George P. Hammond Prize of $500 for the best paper by a graduate student member of Phi Alpha Theta
•The Lynn W. Turner Prize of $500 for the best paper by an undergraduate student member of Phi Alpha Theta
•The Nels Andrew Cleven Founder’s Paper Prize Awards: two undergraduate and two graduate awards of $400 each for superior papers submitted by student members of Phi Alpha Theta

The essays should combine original historical research on significant subjects, based on source material and manuscripts if possible, with good English composition and superior style.

PAPERS SHOULD NOT EXCEED 25 TYPEWRITTEN DOUBLE-SPACED PAGES IN LENGTH (excluding bibliography), and must be printed in single-sided format only. Entries that do not comply with these guidelines will be disqualified. Papers submitted for consideration should be organized in a form similar to articles published in The Historian with footnotes, spelling, and punctuation conforming as nearly as possible to the rules of A Manual of Style (10th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1937, or later). A bibliography must be included with the submitted paper. Students should eliminate footers or headers, bearing the student’s name from individual pages of the paper, but pages must be consecutively numbered.

The title page of the paper must include: the applicant’s name, mailing address, phone number and email address, as well as the college/university name, GRADUATE OR UNDERGRADUATE STATUS, and year which s/he joined Phi Alpha Theta. All papers should be clearly marked as entries for the 2023 Phi Alpha Theta Paper Prize Award.

ONLY ONE SUBMISSION PER STUDENT IS ALLOWED

If suitable for publication, the winners may be offered the opportunity of having their articles published in a future issue of The Historian. Submit the following items:

•Submit five (5) hard copies of each manuscript
•A letter of recommendation from either the Faculty Advisor or History Department Chair indicating the applicant’s chapter affiliation and whether the individual is a graduate or an undergraduate student (Note: Those recommending papers should include their email address in their letter of recommendation).

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all required documentation is received by the competition deadline. THE COMPETITION COMMITTEE CANNOT INDIVIDUALLY CONFIRM RECEIPT OF STUDENT SUBMISSIONS, SO PLEASE SEND YOUR PACKET OF PAPERS VIA REGISTERED MAIL IF YOU REQUIRE VERIFICATION OF DELIVERY. Incomplete applications or those RECEIVED after the deadline or by individuals whose membership in Phi Alpha Theta cannot be verified will not be considered for the competition.

Send to:

Christopher M. Kennedy, Ph.D.
Office of the Provost
Francis Marion University 
P.O. Box 100547
Florence, SC 29502-0547
Email: 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all required documentation is received by the competition deadline. Incomplete applications or those submitted after the deadline or by individuals whose membership in Phi Alpha Theta cannot be verified will not be considered for the competition.

Entries must be received by July 1, 2023

Phi Alpha Theta faculty advisors who have served as chapter advisors for five (5) or more years and are currently advising the chapter are eligible to apply for the Phi Alpha Theta Faculty Advisor Research Grant. A qualified faculty member may receive a $1,000 award in support of any special activity for the advancement of his or her career such as research, writing assistance or travel.
The Grant Committee will make its determination based on the following criteria:

• Years of service to Phi Alpha Theta
• Compliance with honor society procedures and guidelines, i.e. submitting initiates
• The merit of the proposal

Submit:

• Four (4) copies of the Faculty Advisor Research Grant Application 2023 and all supporting materials
• Four (4) copies of a current curriculum vitae including a selected list of your publications
• The original and three (3) copies of a letter of support from your Department Chair or Dean

Send the complete application package so that it is received by July 1, 2023 to:

Faculty Advisor Research Grant Phi Alpha Theta National Headquarters
Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society
University of South Florida
4202 East Fowler Avenue, SOC107
Tampa, Florida 33620-8100

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all required documentation is received by the competition deadline. Incomplete applications or those submitted after the deadline or by individuals whose membership in Phi Alpha Theta cannot be verified will not be considered for the competition.

Entries must be received by July 1, 2023

Phi Alpha Theta invites all chapters to enter their student history journal into competition for the following prizes:

PRINT JOURNALS

Categories:

1. Universities and colleges that offer graduate courses in History and/or student journals that include the work of graduate students (in any field of study) as authors, editors, etc.
First prize=$500, Second prize=$350, Third prize=$250

2. Universities and colleges that do not offer graduate courses in History –
First prize=$500, Second prize=$350, Third prize=$250

For print journals, submit:

•Four (4) copies of the journal mailed to the address below and
•A letter, from the Phi Alpha Theta faculty advisor, that clearly indicates whether the institution offers graduate history courses, how many copies of the journal were published, the manner of the journal’s distribution or sale, and e-mail contact information for the faculty advisor.

ELECTRONIC JOURNALS

Categories:

1. Universities and colleges that offer graduate courses in History and/or student journals that include the work of graduate students (in any field of study) as authors, editors, etc.
First prize=$500, Second prize=$350, Third prize=$250

2. Universities and colleges that do not offer graduate courses in History
First prize=$500, Second prize=$350, Third prize=$250

For electronic journals, submit:

• A letter, mailed to the address below, from the Phi Alpha Theta faculty advisor that clearly indicates whether the institution offers graduate history courses and/or whether graduate students (in any field) participated in the journal’s production.  This letter must also include the electronic journal’s URL and the e-mail contact information for the faculty advisor.

Competition Rules:

•Journals may only compete in the print OR electronic category.
•Only publications that consist primarily of student research papers and other learned essays are eligible.
•Papers and essays must be the work of presently matriculating students or those who have graduated within 1 year before the journal’s publication date.
•The journal editor must be a verified member of Phi Alpha Theta. In addition, the editorial staff must include students, and a majority of the student editors must be members of Phi Alpha Theta.
•The journal must be associated with a recognized chapter of Phi Alpha Theta and must clearly state this within the contents of the journal.
•Each printed article should be accompanied by a short biography of the author. Formal research essays should use standard historical endnotes or footnotes.
•Each journal will be judged not only on the basis of the scholarly merit and variety of its papers but also on the overall literary merit of all printed material and the journal’s layout and design, including the artistry of its cover.

Please note:

•The committee encourages editors at universities to solicit and print papers of undergraduate students in introductory courses along with more polished work of advanced students.
•The committee is particularly interested in journals containing articles, oral histories, movie reviews, book reviews, review essays, and the like.
•The committee encourages chapters to publish the work of students from other institutions, but the majority of the work published should be of presently matriculating students or students who have graduated within the academic year of the journal’s publication.

Entries must be received by July 1, 2023.  Send the required documentation to:

Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society
University of South Florida
4202 East Fowler Avenue, SOC107
Tampa, Florida 33620-8100