William and Edwyna Gilbert Award
The submission deadline has passed. Awardees are announced in the fall, and the next contest will begin in spring 2023.
The William and Edwyna Gilbert Award for the Best Article on Teaching History annually recognizes outstanding contributions to the teaching of history through the publication of articles in journals, magazines, and other serials. Originally the “William Gilbert Award,” named in memory of William Gilbert, a longtime AHA member and distinguished scholar-teacher of the Renaissance at the University of Kansas, it was renamed the William and Edwyna Gilbert Award in 2012 after Edwyna Gilbert passed away and left additional funds to supplement the original bequest for the award.
The current prize amount is $1,000 each to the author and journal. See the list of past recipients.
Eligibility
Articles with a publication date of 2022 are eligible for consideration for the 2023 award. Authors must be members of the AHA. Both the author of the winning article and the journal that publishes it will each receive the award. Journals and individual members may submit nominations on the teaching of history (including scholarship of teaching and learning, methodology and theory of pedagogy). Journals, magazines, and other serials can submit up to two articles for each award cycle.
Application Process
Log into your MY AHA account at 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 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 names of additional nominees (if group nomination).
- Upload an Application Packet as a single PDF. Include the following documents:
- Letter of support (up to 2 pages)
- Copy of the article
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.
2022 Gilbert Award
Brigid E. Vance, “Finding their Voice: Student Podcasts on the East Asian Collection at Lawrence University’s Wriston Galleries,” The History Teacher 54, no. 4 (August 2021)
This article proposes an innovative pedagogical approach for a history course. It takes advantage of the university’s Japanese art collection as the research focus and uses the podcast model as the communication medium. It is a fascinating exploration of using a new process to engender student ownership over their learning. The presentation is embedded in the literature on teaching and learning and includes thoughtful explorations of the reasons for using various strategies.