The American Historical Association offers the Raymond J. Cunningham Prize annually for the best article published in a journal written by an undergraduate student.
The current prize amount is $500 each to the author and journal.
Eligibility
The prize selection committee has typically given preference to articles that incorporate primary sources. The article must be published in a journal between May 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026.
Application Process
Log into your MY AHA account at www.historians.org/myaha and click “Available Application Forms” in the AHA Awards, Grants, and Jobs section. If you don’t have an account, create one for free at www.historians.org/createaccount. If nominating someone else, select the Nominate button and search for the nominee’s existing record or create a new record.
- Fill in the application form, which includes the nominee’s contact information and the name of the article, journal, and faculty advisor.
- Upload an Application Packet as a single PDF. Include the following documents:
- Letter of support (no more than 2 pages)
- Copy of the article
Only ONE article from a specific journal may be nominated each year.
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.
Raymond J. Cunningham
Raymond J. Cunningham was an associate professor of history at Fordham University. He was an authority on American historian Herbert Baxter Adams.
Past Recipients
Current Recipient
Claire DeVinney, University of Rochester
“‘This Popular & Malcontent Temper’: Pennsylvania Currency and Transatlantic Commerce, 1720–1723,” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 92, no. 2 (Spring 2025)
Faculty adviser: Tanya Kevorkian, Millersville University