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.

As reported by The New York Times, the 2025 prizes will be awarded to two acclaimed works in the field of American history:

Native Nations: A Millennium in North America 
by Kathleen DuVal
published by Random House (2024)

A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth: The Making of the Port of Los Angeles and America 
by James Tejani
published by W.W. Norton (2024)

Watch the 2025 Bancroft Prize Ceremony

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 2025 for consideration for the Bancroft Prizes to be awarded in 2026. We are no longer accepting submissions. Winners will be contacted in March 2026. The winners will be announced publicly in The New York Times in March 2026, and will also be posted on our website. Thank you to all who submitted entries.

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

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The Bancroft Prizes: Current & Previous Awards