Submissions for the Royal Historical Society's First Book Prize, 2026, can be made via this portal.
Further details of the RHS First Book Prize, and eligibility for applicants, are available here: https://royalhistsoc.org/prizes/royal-historical-society-first-book-prize/
The 2026 prize round for first books introduces the following changes:
- a move to a single book prize for which two winning titles will be identified. All books submitted will be considered for this single book prize, with no distinction made (as in previous years) for books relating to ‘British and Irish’ and ‘non-British and Irish’ history.
- a move to a system of self-nomination by early career authors of first books published in the previous calendar year (i.e. 2025). This replaces the previous application process of submission by publisher.
To be eligible for consideration for the RHS First Book Prize prize, the submitted book:
- must be its author’s first solely written history book and take the form of a monograph;
- may be on any historical subject, covering all topics, chronologies and geographies;
- must be an original and scholarly work of historical research by an author who received their doctoral degree from a UK or Irish university;
- must have been published in English during the calendar year 2025 (for the 2026 award). Only printed and e-books bearing a 2025 copyright date are eligible for consideration in the current round. Books issued by publishers in the final weeks of 2025, which bear a copyright date of 2026, will be eligible for nomination for the award in 12 months' time (i.e. 2026 for 2027).
- must be a publication from a recognised academic or university press, or a publisher of academic monographs in history. Self-published monographs will not be admissible for the prize.
When submitting an application to the RHS First Book Prize, you will be required to upload a copy of the 'Introduction' or introductory chapter of the monograph as a pdf or via a link to an online edition. Options to provide further content from the monograph, if possible, are also available.
The closing date for self-nomination of books by eligible authors is: Monday 15 December 2025
Enquiries about submitting an application can be sent to: administration@royalhistsoc.org
RHS First Book Prize
Submissions for the Royal Historical Society's First Book Prize, 2026, can be made via this portal.
Further details of the RHS First Book Prize, and eligibility for applicants, are available here: https://royalhistsoc.org/prizes/royal-historical-society-first-book-prize/
The 2026 prize round for first books introduces the following changes:
- a move to a single book prize for which two winning titles will be identified. All books submitted will be considered for this single book prize, with no distinction made (as in previous years) for books relating to ‘British and Irish’ and ‘non-British and Irish’ history.
- a move to a system of self-nomination by early career authors of first books published in the previous calendar year (i.e. 2025). This replaces the previous application process of submission by publisher.
To be eligible for consideration for the RHS First Book Prize prize, the submitted book:
- must be its author’s first solely written history book and take the form of a monograph;
- may be on any historical subject, covering all topics, chronologies and geographies;
- must be an original and scholarly work of historical research by an author who received their doctoral degree from a UK or Irish university;
- must have been published in English during the calendar year 2025 (for the 2026 award). Only printed and e-books bearing a 2025 copyright date are eligible for consideration in the current round. Books issued by publishers in the final weeks of 2025, which bear a copyright date of 2026, will be eligible for nomination for the award in 12 months' time (i.e. 2026 for 2027).
- must be a publication from a recognised academic or university press, or a publisher of academic monographs in history. Self-published monographs will not be admissible for the prize.
When submitting an application to the RHS First Book Prize, you will be required to upload a copy of the 'Introduction' or introductory chapter of the monograph as a pdf or via a link to an online edition. Options to provide further content from the monograph, if possible, are also available.
The closing date for self-nomination of books by eligible authors is: Monday 15 December 2025
Enquiries about submitting an application can be sent to: administration@royalhistsoc.org