The SMH Public History Award Nomination Guidelines - 2026
Through the generosity of SMH Trustee Miranda Summers-Lowe and her spouse, Justin Lowe, the Society has established an annual award that recognizes the contribution of public historians to the field of military history.
SMH will recognize the award winner and present a $500 award at the Awards ceremony at the SMH annual meeting.
Eligibility Criteria:
Anyone working in the following capacities may apply: historical consultants, museum professionals, historical exhibit designers, government historians, archivists, oral historians, cultural resource managers, digital historians, curators, film and media producers, historical interpreters, historic preservationists, policy advisers, local historians, and community activists.*
Selection Criteria:
The SMH Public History Award Committee will select the winner (individual or organization) whose work the previous calendar year contributes the most to the broader public reflection and appreciation of the past or that serves as a model of public history practice while emphasizing and highlighting the importance of military history. This award focuses on the “doing” of public history and does not necessarily favor traditional publishing.
Submission Instructions:
*Applicable fields drawn from The National Council on Public History, About the Field | National Council on Public History, and modified as necessary by SMH.
SMH will recognize the award winner and present a $500 award at the Awards ceremony at the SMH annual meeting.
Eligibility Criteria:
Anyone working in the following capacities may apply: historical consultants, museum professionals, historical exhibit designers, government historians, archivists, oral historians, cultural resource managers, digital historians, curators, film and media producers, historical interpreters, historic preservationists, policy advisers, local historians, and community activists.*
Selection Criteria:
The SMH Public History Award Committee will select the winner (individual or organization) whose work the previous calendar year contributes the most to the broader public reflection and appreciation of the past or that serves as a model of public history practice while emphasizing and highlighting the importance of military history. This award focuses on the “doing” of public history and does not necessarily favor traditional publishing.
Submission Instructions:
- You may nominate yourself or your organization, or nominate someone else for their contribution.
- No later than 15 February 2026, the applicant should submit a 2-3 page précis explaining their individual or organizational contribution along with a current curriculum vitae to Dr. Bryon Greenwald, chair of the SMH Public History Award Committee, at smhpublichistoryaward@gmail.com.
- The précis must include a statement of the work's focus, contribution, and conclusions, its place in the relevant historiography, and any innovative methodologies that shape it.
- All submissions must be double-spaced and submitted in PDF format.
- Nominations for projects such as DVDs, videos, CDs, books, etc. should include digital copies of the production, submitted with the précis and curriculum vitae. If the digital file you wish to submit is too large to attach, then please include links to other digital storage systems (e.g., Google Drive).
*Applicable fields drawn from The National Council on Public History, About the Field | National Council on Public History, and modified as necessary by SMH.
