The Trevor Reese Memorial Prize - The Trevor Reese Memorial Prize

What the Trevor Reese Memorial Prize gives you

You will win a one-off cash prize of about 1,150 EUR (1,000 GBP) for a published book on the history of the British Empire and the Commonwealth. The prize is awarded by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. The prize is named after Dr Trevor Reese, a historian specialising in Australia and the Commonwealth, who taught at the Institute until 1976. It is a book prize, not a monthly scholarship, and is awarded only once every three years.

Who can apply

• What you enter: An academic book you have written on the history of the British Empire or the Commonwealth.
• When it was published: Your book must have been published within the three-year period to which the current round relates. For the 2016 Prize, for example, books published between 2013 and 2015 were eligible.
• Single or joint authors: Books by a single author or by several authors may be submitted together.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply. There are no restrictions regarding your background or place of work.
• Not eligible: Edited anthologies, i.e. books in which you have compiled chapters by other authors rather than writing the work yourself.

How to apply

When the Institute publishes the call for nominations, the publisher or the author must send two copies of the book to the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in London. The deadline for submissions is 31 May. A jury will then read the books and select the winner.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a single, prestigious award that is presented only once every three years, and the previous winners have been established historians from leading university presses. The competition is extremely tough. The prize is awarded for a completed, highly acclaimed book on the history of the Empire and the Commonwealth, not for a research project. If you have written such a book and it falls within the eligible three-year period, entering the competition is inexpensive and well worth the effort.