About the Lincoln Prize

The Lincoln Prize at Gettysburg College shall be awarded annually by the Lincoln and Soldiers Institute for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln, or the American Civil War soldier, or a subject relating to their era. The $50,000 prize was co-founded and endowed by businessmen and philanthropists Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman, principals of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York and co-creators of the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the largest private archives of documents and artifacts in the nation.  The Institute devotes itself to history education by supporting magnet schools, teacher training, curriculum development, exhibitions, and publications, as well as endowing several major history awards.  Mr. Gilder and Mr. Lehrman established the Lincoln Prize in 1990, together with Professsor Gabor Boritt, Director Emeritus of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College.  Since founding the Lincoln Prize in 1990, Mr. Gilder and Mr. Lehrman have bestowed some $1 million on the annual winners, including special prizes.  The Prize will generally go to a book but in rare instances an important article or essay might be honored.  When studies competing for the Prize show similar scholarly merit, preference will be given to work on Abraham Lincoln, or the Civil War soldier, or work aimed at the literate general public.  In harmony with the last preference, in rare instances the Prize may go to a work or works of fiction, poetry, the theatre, the arts, a film, scholarly article or editing project- provided they are true to history.  In rare instances, the Prize may go to an historical project, such as an inspired conference or an editing project, such as an inspired conference or an editing project.  In rare instances, the trustees may grant the award to a work or service related to Lincoln, or the Civil War soldier or their era, not included in the foregoing description.  As many as two prizes may be awarded each year. It will be awarded for works published only during the designated year of the Prize. 

The Prize is intended chiefly to encourage outstanding new scholarship, but a lifetime contribution to the study of Lincoln, or the American Civil War soldier, may qualify for the award.  Each year any work that appears during the previous year may be eligible for consideration.  However, facing a lean scholarly year, the Board of Trustees may request the jury to consider work from the previous two or three years.

The Prize is supervised and awarded by the five trustees of the Lincoln and Soldiers Institute. The Board of Trustees appoints a jury of three historians or qualified specialists each year. The jury will be requested to recommend three finalists and the Board of Trustees is to make a final selection of the winner.

Publishers, critics, and authors may submit books published in 2010 by November 1.
There is no entry fee or form.

Send ten (5) copies of the nominated work to:

The Lincoln Prize at Gettysburg College
Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College
300 N. Washington Street, Campus Box 435
Gettysburg, PA 17325

For more information on the Prize please call 717-337-6590 or email lincolnprize@gettysburg.edu