In 2014 the American Historical Association established the Jerry Bentley Prize in World History, which honors Jerry Bentley’s tireless efforts to promote the field of world history, and his signal contributions to it. A professor at the University of Hawaii, Bentley was one of the leading figures in the world history movement and the founding editor of the Journal of World History.

The Bentley prize is awarded annually to the best book in each calendar year in the field of world history. The current prize amount is $1,000. See the list of past recipients.

The general rules for submission are:

1. Any book published in English dealing with global or world-scale history, with connections or comparisons across continents, in any period will be eligible.
2. Books bearing a copyright of 2022 are eligible for the 2023 prize.
3. 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.
4. Nominators must complete an online prize submission form for each book submitted.
5. One copy of each entry must be sent to each committee member and clearly labeled “Bentley 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: Entries must be received by May 15, 2023, to be eligible for the 2023 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2023 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2024 AHA annual meeting in San Francisco.

For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.

Photo of Jerry Bentley, courtesy of University of Hawai'i history department.