The Association recognizes a wide variety of distinguished historical work, which can take the form of an exceptional book in the field, distinguished teaching and mentoring in the classroom, and even on film. Since 1896 the Association has conferred over a thousand awards. The names, publications, and projects of those who received these awards are a catalogue of the best work produced by the historical profession.

Awards for Publications (Books, Articles, and Other Formats)

The Herbert Baxter Adams Prize in European history from ancient times through 1815

The George Louis Beer Prize in European international history since 1895

The Jerry Bentley Prize in global or world-scale history, with connections or comparisons across continents

The Albert J. Beveridge Award in American history for a distinguished book on the history of the United States, Latin America, or Canada, from 1492 to the present

The Paul Birdsall Prize offered biennially for a major work in European military and strategic history since 1870

The James Henry Breasted Prize in any field of history prior to CE 1000

The Albert B. Corey Prize for the best book dealing with the history of Canadian-American relations or the history of both countries

The Raymond J. Cunningham Prize for the best article published in a journal written by an undergraduate student

The John H. Dunning Prize offered biennially in US history

The Patricia Buckley Ebrey Prize for the best book in East Asian history prior to 1800

The John K. Fairbank Prize for East Asian history since 1800

The Morris D. Forkosch Prize in the field of British, British Imperial, or British Commonwealth history since 1485

The Leo Gershoy Award in the fields of 17th- and 18th-century western European history

The William and Edwyna Gilbert Award for the best article on teaching history

The Clarence H. Haring Prize for a Latin American who has published the most outstanding book in Latin American history during the preceding five years

The J. Franklin Jameson Award awarded biennially for outstanding achievement in the editing of historical primary sources

The Friedrich Katz Prize in Latin American and Caribbean history

The Joan Kelly Memorial Prize for women’s history and/or feminist theory

The Martin A. Klein Prize to recognize the most distinguished work of scholarship on African history

The Waldo G. Leland Prize offered every five years for the most outstanding reference tool in the field of history

The Littleton-Griswold Prize in US law and society, broadly defined

The J. Russell Major Prize for the best work in English on any aspect of French history

The Helen & Howard R. Marraro Prize in Italian history

The George L. Mosse Prize in the intellectual and cultural history of Europe since 1500

The John E. O'Connor Film Award to recognize outstanding interpretations of history through the medium of film or video

The Eugenia M. Palmegiano Prize for the most outstanding book published in English on any aspect of the history of journalism

The James A. Rawley Prize for historical writing that explores the integration of Atlantic worlds before the 20th century

The Premio Del Rey for a distinguished book in English in the field of early Spanish history

The John F. Richards Prize for the most distinguished work of scholarship on South Asian history published in English

The James Harvey Robinson Prize for the teaching aid that has made the most outstanding contribution to the teaching and learning of history in any field for public or educational purposes

The Dorothy Rosenberg Prize for the most distinguished work on the history of the Jewish diaspora

The Roy Rosenzweig Prize for innovation in digital history

The Wesley-Logan Prize in African diaspora history

Awards for Scholarly and Professional Distinction

The Troyer Steele Anderson Prize for contributions to the advancement of the purposes of the Association

The Eugene Asher Award for distinguished postsecondary history teaching

The Award for Scholarly Distinction to senior historians for lifetime achievement

The Beveridge Family Teaching Prize for distinguished K–12 history teaching

Equity Awards for individuals and institutions that have achieved excellence in recruiting and retaining underrepresented racial and ethnic groups into the historic profession

The Herbert Feis Award for distinguished contributions to public history

The Honorary Foreign Member for a foreign scholar who is distinguished in his or her field and who has “notably aided the work of American historians”

The John Lewis Award for History and Social Justice to recognize a historian for leadership and sustained engagement at the intersection of historical work and social justice.

The John Lewis Award for Public Service to the Discipline of History to recognize individuals outside the ranks of professional historians who have made a significant contribution to the study, teaching, and public understanding of history, in the interest of social justice.

The Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award for teachers of history who taught, guided, and inspired their students in a way that changed their lives

AHA Research Grants

Albert J. Beveridge Grant in the history of the Western hemisphere

Michael Kraus Research Grant in colonial American history

Littleton-Griswold Grant in US legal history and the field of law and society

Bernadotte Schmitt Grant in the history of Europe, Asia, and Africa

Annual Meeting Travel Grants

AHA Council Annual Meeting Travel Grants subsidize graduate student attendance at the AHA annual meeting

Dorothy Rosenberg Phi Beta Kappa Annual Meeting Travel Grants to help defray travel expenses incurred by graduate students attending the annual meeting

Jerry Bentley World History Travel Grants to support travel to the AHA annual meeting for graduate students who include world history among their major or minor fields of academic study

Fellowships

Fellowship in Aerospace History in history related to all aspects of aerospace

Special Grants

Grants to Sustain and Advance the Work of Historical Organizations to support dozens of small history-related organizations adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

Discontinued Awards and Fellowships

The Alexis de Tocqueville Prize (1979–89) for the best published work in any language on the history of the United States by a foreign scholar. The prize was discontinued due to a lack of submissions.

The Congressional Fellows program (1980–86) which supported the assignment of postdoctoral fellows to the office of congressional members or committee staff.

The John E. Fagg Prize (2001–10) honored the best publication in the history of Spain and Latin America.

The First Books Program (1977–83) was designed to provide younger historians with publication outlets in an effort to overcome the high cost of publishing and other pressures on junior faculty members. The program was discontinued because it proved too difficult to administer.

The AHA/Folger Shakespeare Library Fellowship (2012–15) supported research on 17th- and 18th-century western European history at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

The Gutenberg-e Prize (1999–2004) encouraged the electronic publication of the best history dissertations in select fields.

The James Hazen Hyde Prize (1948) was established to acknowledge the best work on Franco-American relations or on the history of France in the nineteenth century.

The J. Franklin Jameson Fellowship (1977–2022) in American history, to support significant scholarly research in the collections of the Library of Congress

The Jusserand Medal (1925–37) acknowledged the best work on international intellectual progress, in particular vis-à-vis relations between the United States and Europe.

The Military History Prize/Johnston Prize (1915–20) was created as a one-time award to recognize the best monograph in the field of military history.

National Institute of Social Sciences Annual Meeting Travel Grants (2020) helped defray travel expenses incurred by graduate students attending the AHA annual meeting

The Robert Livingston Schuyler Prize (1951–91) recognized the best published work in the field of modern British, British imperial, or British Commonwealth history written by a citizen of the United States. The Schuyler Prize was superseded by the Forkosch Prize in 1993.

The Theodore Roosevelt-Woodrow Wilson Award to honor individuals outside the historical profession who have made a significant contribution to the study, teaching, and public understanding of history

The Moses Coit Tyler Prize (1957–61) was conferred for the best manuscript in American intellectual history.

The Watumull Prize (1945–82) recognized the best book on the history of India.

The Justin Winsor Prize (1896–1938) was the first prize established by the American Historical Association, and sought to encourage and acknowledge previously unpublished authors and young scholars without an established reputation in the profession.