The James Harvey Robinson Prize is awarded biennially for the teaching aid which has made the most outstanding contribution to the teaching and learning of history in any field for public or educational purposes. The Robinson Prize was established in 1974 by Council and first offered in 1978.
The prize is honorific.
General guidelines for submission are:
- The work should be a “teaching aid,” which encompasses textbooks, source and reference materials, audiovisuals, computer-assisted instruction, and public history or museum materials. Monographs and revisions will not be considered.
- The work should have the potential to influence history education. This influence could be in the form of a model that would have wide adaptability, and/or the influence could affect teachers and students through widely taught courses.
- The work must demonstrate recent and good historical scholarship an must be well written and attractively presented.
- Only items with a copyright of 2024 or 2025 will be eligible for the 2026 award.
- Nomination submissions may be made by an author or by a publisher. Publishers may submit as many entries as they wish. Authors or publishers may submit the same book for multiple AHA prizes.
- Nominators must complete an online prize submission form for each book submitted. Once you fill out the form you will receive an email with the committee’s contact information.
- One copy of each entry must be sent to each of the committee members and clearly labeled “Robinson Prize Entry.” Print copies preferred unless otherwise indicated. If only e-copy is available, please contact review committee members beforehand to arrange submission format.
Please Note: The competition will open in mid-March 2026. Entries must be received by May 15, 2026, to be eligible for the 2026 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2026 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2027 AHA annual meeting in New Orleans.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.

James Harvey Robinson
It is named in honor of James Harvey Robinson (1863–1936), president of the Association in 1929 and a pioneer in new methods and content of history teaching.
Past Recipients
Current Recipient
Bruce Allyn Lesh, Carroll County Public Schools, Md.
Developing Historical Thinkers: Supporting Historical Inquiry for All Students (Teachers Coll. Press)
Complaints abound that history teaching is deadly dull. This book will give it new life. Bruce Allyn Lesh offers ingenious strategies and thoughtful reflections for revitalizing our classes. He shows, for example, how students can study labor history by holding a mock congressional hearing on the Pullman strike of 1894 or discuss queer activism by exploring primary sources on the Lavender Scare of the 1950s. Wise social studies directors will make Lesh’s book the focus of professional development, and even college teachers will discover new ways to address hard histories and embrace active learning.