The Bancroft Prizes are awarded annually by Columbia University in the City of New York. Under the terms of the will of the late Fredric Bancroft, provision is made for two annual prizes of equal rank to be awarded to the authors of distinguished works in either or both of the following categories: American History (including biography) and Diplomacy.

The awards in a given year are for books with a copyright date in the previous year. Prior to submitting a nomination, please closely review the following eligibility requirements:

• The competition is open to all persons whether connected to Columbia University or not and whether citizens of the United States or any other county.
• Works must fall into either or both of the following categories: American History (including biography) and Diplomacy. The word "American" is interpreted to include all the Americas, North, Central, and South; however, the award is confined to works originally written in English or of which there is a published translation in English.
• Previous winners of the Bancroft Prize are eligible for an award in a later year.
• The following works are not considered to be eligible:
  • Volumes of papers, letters, and speeches of famous Americans, unless edited by the author
  • Paperback reprints
  • Books that have been submitted previously
  • Exclusively digital books (books must exist in a physical form as well as PDF)
  • Books reporting on recent personal experiences of Americans, within a limited area both in time and geographically*
    *Autobiography comes within the terms of the prize

The deadline has passed for submitting works published in 2024 for consideration for the Bancroft Prizes to be awarded in 2025. We are no longer accepting submissions. Thank you to all who submitted entries. 

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The Bancroft Prizes: Current & Previous Awards

Please contact bancroft-prize@library.columbia.edu with questions.