The Coffman Prize Award Guidelines

The Society for Military History Coffman First Manuscript Award is given annually to the best dissertation in military history. The competition is open to PhD scholars whose work blends military history with social, political, economic, and diplomatic history and to authors of studies centering on campaigns, leaders, technology, and doctrine. The winning author receives a cash award and a plaque. The winner also will be recognized at the Awards Dinner at the Society for Military History annual meeting.

The Society for Military History First-Manuscript Prize Submission Guidelines Eligibility:
  1. The dissertation must have been defended or the PhD  degree received in the 2024 calendar year (between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024).
  2. Only English-language manuscripts will be considered. Translations are not eligible for consideration unless the author both translated and annotated the manuscript.
  3. The text of a submitted manuscript must be at least 250 pages in length.
  4. Submitted manuscripts should be the record copies filed with the PhD-granting university. Manuscripts may be under contract for publication in the fall of 2024 or later.

Submission Instructions:
  1. No later than 1 December 2024, the author must submit - a copy of the full manuscript, a 3-5 page précis of the same, and a current curriculum vitae - to Brian Drohan, chair of the 2025 Coffman First Manuscript Award Committee, at brian.drohan@westpoint.edu.
  2. The précis must include a statement of the work's thesis and conclusions, its place in the relevant historiography, and any new or underutilized primary source materials or innovative methodologies that shape it.
  3. All submissions must be double-spaced and submitted in PDF format.
  4. The Society for Military History will present the Coffman First Manuscript Award at its 2025 Annual Meeting, 27-30 March 2025, in Mobile, AL.

Point of Contact:
Brian Drohan
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Associate Professor, US Military Academy – West Point
brian.drohan@westpoint.edu
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