The Society of American Historians (SAH) was founded in 1939 by Allan Nevins and several fellow historians for the purpose of promoting literary distinction in the writing of history and biography.

The Allan Nevins Prize is awarded annually for the best-written doctoral dissertation on an American subject. The Nevins Prize’s winning book is published by one of the distinguished houses that support the prize: Basic Books; Bloomsbury Press; Cambridge University Press; University of Chicago Press; Columbia University Press; Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Hill and Wang; Harvard University Press; Henry Holt; Alfred A. Knopf; W. W. Norton and Company; University of North Carolina Press; Oxford University Press; University of Pennsylvania Press; Princeton University Press; Random House; Simon and Schuster; and Yale University Press. The prize is named in honor of the society’s founder and first president.

The 54th Annual Allan Nevins Dissertation Prize, 2014

• Purpose: To honor dissertations for literary distinction and for making a significant contribution to historical knowledge.
• Prize: A certificate and two thousand dollars, and publication by one of the publishers listed above. A certificate will be presented to the dissertation sponsor. The prize will be awarded at the annual meeting of the society in New York in May, 2014.
• Eligibility: The society defines history broadly and welcomes manuscripts on American arts, literature, and science, as well as biographical studies of Americans in any walk of life. The dissertation must have been defended or the Ph.D. degree received in the previous calendar year, between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. Dissertations already submitted for publication are not eligible.
• Submission: Dissertations should be submitted by the chair of the department awarding the degree or by the dissertation sponsor. Please submit a digital copy, preferably in PDF form, as well as one hard copy, which should be bound in an effective yet inexpensive fashion. The hard copy will not be returned.
• The nomination letter should include complete contact information for the student, including a telephone number and an email address that will be valid as of spring 2014. The nomination letter need state these facts and no others. No department may submit more than two dissertations.
• Deadline: The digital and hard copies should be submitted no later than January 31, 2014, to: