The Royal Historical Society’s Early Career Article Prize 2025 recognises the scholarly contribution and quality of journal articles published in 2024.
This year’s shortlist of eight articles is now available. It follows an open call for early career historians to submit a journal article, or book chapter, published last year for consideration.
Two final winners of the 2025 prize will be chosen, with the announcement to take place in July.
The 2025 Shortlist recognises the scholarly contribution of eight articles published in 2024
Beth Bhargava, ‘The National Front and Environmental Politics, 1967–90’, Modern British History
James Burns, ‘The Bandit, the Holy Man, and the Slave in the Early Medieval West’, Journal of Late Antiquity
Katherine Burns, ‘‘She died from grief’: Trauma and Emotion in Information Wanted Advertisements’, Slavery & Abolition
Aisha Djelid, “The master whished to reproduce”: Slavery, Forced Intimacy, and Enslavers’ Interference in Sexual Relationships in the Antebellum South, 1808–1861′, American Nineteenth Century History
William Jones, “You are going to be my Bettman”: Exploitative Sexual Relationships and the Lives of the Pipel in Nazi Concentration Camps’, The Journal of Holocaust Research
Michaela Kalcher, ‘The Self in the Shadow of the Guillotine: Revolution, Terror and Trauma in a Parisian Diary‘, History Workshop Journal
Matthew Lee, ‘Slavery, Colonialism and Civic Culture: The Development of Philanthropic Institutions in North East Scotland’, Northern Scotland
Ollie Randall, ‘Cricket, Literary Culture and In-Groups in Early Twentieth-Century Britain’, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society
Two articles will be chosen as winners of the 2025 Prize, with each author receiving £250.
THE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR’S EARLY CAREER ARTICLE PRIZE WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN JULY, ALONG WITH RECIPIENTS OF THE SOCIETY’S FIRST BOOK PRIZE FOR 2025.
About the Prize
The Royal Historical Society’s Early Career Article Prize, 2025 is awarded for an article or essay based on original historical research – by a doctoral candidate or an early career historian within three years of being awarded a doctorate – published in a journal or an edited collection of essays.
Articles for consideration were submitted by authors following an open call for submissions. Eight articles have now been shortlisted with two winners to be chosen and announced in July 2025.
Two prizes of £250 each are awarded annually.
To be eligible for consideration for the prize:
- applicants must be doctoral students in a historical subject at a UK or Irish institution, or be within three years* of having a submitted a corrected thesis in a historical subject in a UK/Irish institution at the time of the closing date for entries.
- the article or essay must have been published in a journal or edited collection during the calendar year 2024 for the 2025 prize round. Advanced access publisher versions are also eligible, but an item cannot be entered more than once in subsequent years.
- an electronic copy of the publisher’s version the article or essay will need to be uploaded to the entry form.
*this is an extension from the two years for applicants for the article prize in 2024 and before.
Find out more about the Society’s Early Career Article Prize, and previous winners of RHS article prizes to 2024, on the RHS website.
Also available: Royal Historical Society First Book Prize, 2025
The Society’s First Book Prize is awarded for a first sole-authored monograph published by an early career historian who received a PhD from a university in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
This year’s shortlist of eight books is now available, with two winners to be announced in early July.
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