In 1997, Jeff Shaara, the critically acclaimed best-selling author, established The Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction. This prize is named in honor of his father, the author of the novel The Killer Angels. In 2005, the Prize moved to the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. A $5,000 prize is awarded annually at Gettysburg.

Information about nominating a title for the Michael Shaara Prize.

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Robin Oliveira wins the 2011 Shaara Prize for Civil War Fiction

Robin Oliveira was announced the winner of the Annual Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for her book My Name is Mary Sutter.  Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife from Albany, New York.  She dreams of becoming a surgeon.  Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine and eager to run away from her recent heartbreak, Mary leaves home and travels to Washington, D.C. to help tend the legions of Civil War wounded.  Under the guidance of William Stipp and James Blevens, two surgeons who fall unwittingly in love with Mary's courage, will, and stubbornness in the face of suffering, and resisting her mother's pleas to return home to help with the birth of her twin sister's baby.  Mary pursues her medical career in the desperately overwhelmed hospitals of the capital.

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Author Cornelia Nixon wins 2010 Shaara Prize for Civil War Fiction

Cornelia Nixon was announced as the winner of the 12^th Annual Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for her book Jarrettsville (Counterpoint, 2009). This is her third novel, and tells the story of a distant relative, who shot and killed her lover just after the Civil War ended. The rest of the novel follows the trial of Martha Jane Cairnes, who is charged with murdering her lover. To find out why she murdered him, the story steps back to 1865, six days after the surrender, when President Lincoln has just been killed by John Wilkes Booth.

Dr. Nixon, a professor of English and Creative Writing at Mills College in Oakland, CA, received her BA from the University of California, Irvine, her MA for Creative Writing from San Francisco State College, and then her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkley. She has taught at Mills College since 2000, and served as the chair of the English department from 2006 to 2007.

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Author Nick Taylor wins 2009 Shaara Prize

Nick Taylor has been selected as the winner of the 2009 Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for his novel, The Disagreement. He is an English professor at San Jose State University, and resides in the Bay Area.  

 

 

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Author Donald McCaig wins 2008 Shaara Prize for Civil War Fiction

Donald McCaig has been selected as the winner of the 2008 Michael Shaara Prize for Civil War fiction for his novel Canaan. He has also authored Jacob's Ladder and resides in rural Virginia. 

 

 

 

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Author Howard Bahr wins 2007 Shaara Prize for Civil War Fiction

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Critically acclaimed author Howard Bahr has won the 2007 Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for his book, The Judas Field.

Bahr was born August 3, 1946, in Meridian, Miss. From 1964 to 1968, he served as a gunner's mate in the United States Navy, participating in coastal and amphibious operations in Vietnam and the Western Pacific. After his service, Bahr worked as a brakeman and yard clerk on several railroads in the South and Midwest. In 1973, Bahr enrolled at the University of Mississippi where he earned a bachelor's degree majoring in English and history and a master's in English. He completed the coursework and examinations for a doctoral degree, but withdrew before completing a dissertation. From 1976 to 1993, he was on the staff at Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner, serving as curator from 1982 to 1993. He was also an instructor of literature at the University of Mississippi. In 1993, Bahr became an English professor at Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tenn., until 2006. Bahr has published in various magazines and journals including Southern Living, Civil War Times Illustrated, The Southern Partisan and The Saturday Evening Post. He is the author of The Black Flower,The Year of Jubilo, Pelican Road and a children's book, Home for Christmas. He lives in Jackson, Miss.