The Royal Historical Society’s Early Career Article Prize 2026 recognises the scholarly contribution and quality of journal articles published in 2025.
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 2026 prize will be chosen, with the announcement to take place in July. Also now available is the Shortlist for the Society’s 2026 First Book prize, with winners also announced in July.
The 2026 Shortlist recognises the scholarly contribution of eight articles published in 2025
Emily Chung, ‘Proximity and segregation in industrial Manchester’, Historical Journal
Kathleen Commons, ‘”Duplex and reciprocal” obligation: Calvin’s Case (1608) and the development of early modern English citizenship’, Historical Research
Heather Craddock, ‘The Absence of the Ackee Tree: Jamaican botanical resistance and Kew’s colonial archive’, Plant Perspectives
Liz Egan, ‘”A Lazy Mistress Makes a Lazy Servant”: domestic labor and white Creole womanhood in Jamaica, ca.1865–1938’, Journal of British Studies
Gianamar Giovannetti-Singh, ‘Colonial world-making and global knowledges at the early modern Cape of Good Hope‘, Past & Present
Matthew Hurst, ‘Hong Kong colonial government migrated archives at Hanslope Park’, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History
Erin Shearer, ‘Challenging the overseer: enslaved women’s violent resistance in the US antebellum South’, American Nineteenth Century History
Stephanie Wanga, ‘Rereading Ujamaa, rethinking freedom’, Development and Change
Two articles will be chosen as winners of the 2026 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 2026.
About the Prize
The Royal Historical Society’s Early Career Article Prize, 2026 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 2026.
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 2025 for the 2026 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.
Find out more about the Society’s Early Career Article Prize, and previous winners of RHS article prizes to 2025, on the RHS website.
Also available: Royal Historical Society First Book Prize, 2026
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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