Hay-Nicolay Dissertation Prize

The Abraham Lincoln Association (ALA) and the Abraham Lincoln Institute (ALI) invite nominations and submissions for the 2024 Hay-Nicolay Dissertation Prize, which includes a $1000 honorarium.

Eligible doctoral dissertations must have been completed between 2021 and 2023. Preference will be given to Abraham Lincoln-focused dissertations, but studies that examine Lincoln’s history and political, cultural, and/or social legacy within a larger context (such as emancipation during the Civil War, Reconstruction, Lincoln administration policies involving indigenous peoples), will also be considered. Comparative studies (e.g., leadership studies, biographies) offering more than one chapter of Lincoln-related material will be considered, as well as studies of individuals traditionally associated with Abraham Lincoln. Submissions should offer new evidence or primary source materials, new interpretations, and/or a reevaluation of previously accepted conclusions.

Dissertations written in a language other than English between 2019 and 2023 are eligible, but must be translated and submitted in English.

Selection will be made by a joint ALA/ALI committee. The winner will be notified by January 2024, with the expectation of accepting in person (travel and lodging provided) at either the ALA Banquet in February 2024, in Springfield, IL, or the ALI Symposium in March 2024, at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Dissertations must be submitted by email as a PDF to Dr. Dan Monroe and Dr. Michelle Krowl

Submissions must be received by 5:00pm Eastern Time on Saturday, October 7, 2023.