The 2026 Dan David Prize – Call for Nominations!
The Dan David Prize is the world’s largest history prize, recognizing up to 9 outstanding early and midcareer scholars and practitioners in the historical disciplines each year. Each Dan David Prize winner is awarded $300,000 to acknowledge their achievements and support future work
We are pleased to announce that nominations for the 5th cycle of the new Dan David Prize are now open. The deadline for nominations for the 2026 Prize is September 24, 2025.
Nominees can come from anywhere in the world and work in any field related to the study of the human past, both within academia and outside it. The list of previous winners can be found here.
We are looking for researchers in disciplines such as history, archaeology, art history, digital humanities and human palaeontology, as well as independent scholars, public historians, museum curators and documentary filmmakers.
Nomination requirements:
- Nominees must be engaged in outstanding and original work related to the study of the human past, employing any chronological, geographical and methodological focus.
- Self nominations will not be considered, anyone can nominate.
- Nominees should exhibit strong potential for future excellence, innovation and leadership that will help shape the study of the past for years to come.
- Academic nominees must hold a PhD and must have published at least one major piece of work, such as a book or a collection of articles related to a major project.
- Non-academic nominees are NOT required to hold a PhD, but must have completed at least one major piece of work, such as a book, major publication, exhibition, documentary film or public humanities project, and should demonstrate an ongoing engagement with topics related to history and the study of the past.
- Nominees should be no more than 15 years post-PhD (for academics) or 15 years after the release of their first major project (for non-academics), although due allowance will be made for career breaks (including e.g. parental and care leave or duties, health-related leave and career changes).
For more information and to nominate, go to dandavidprize.org/nominate
