The American Historical Association offers the Morris D. Forkosch Prize annually in recognition of the best book in English in the field of British, British imperial, or British Commonwealth history since 1485. Submission of books relating to the shared common law heritage of the English-speaking world are particularly encouraged in memory of the late Professor Forkosch’s contributions to the field of legal studies and legal history.
The current prize amount is $1,000.
The general rules for submission are:
- Books with a copyright of 2024 will be eligible for the 2025 competition.
- 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 committee member and clearly marked “Forkosch Award 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. Entries must be received by May 15, 2025, to be eligible for the 2025 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2025 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2026 AHA annual meeting in Chicago.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
Morris D. Forkosch
Morris Forkosch (1908–1989) taught jurisprudence at Brooklyn Law School from 1949 to 1972, and was named professor emeritus upon his retirement.
Past Recipients
Current Recipient
Andrew Seaton, University College London
Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution (Yale Univ. Press)
This study is a brilliant, historically astute, and highly readable assessment of how Britain’s National Health Service managed to adhere to social democratic principles from the 1950s through the 1970s, then somehow survived the onslaught of privatization during and after Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as prime minister. But it’s not a rosy hagiography of one ideological victory among losses. As a human-centered account of an institution, it is both nuanced and deeply engaging.