M. C. Robinson Prize for Historical Analysis

This prize is offered in alternating years. The next time it will be offered is 2009.

The National Council on Public History invites applications and nominations for the biennial Michael C. Robinson Prize for Historical Analysis. Dr. Robinson was a pioneering public works historian who tirelessly promoted historical research as a component of policy formation. He was associate editor (with Suellen Hoy) of the American Public Works Association's bicentennial History of Public Works in the United States, and wrote Water for the West: The Bureau of Reclamation, 1902-1977. Robinson served as research coordinator for the Public Works Historical Society, as the first historian of the Corps of Engineers Mississippi River Commission/Lower Mississippi Valley Division, and until his death in 1998 was the Division's Chief of Public Affairs.

The Robinson Prize, a $500 cash award and a certificate, rewards historical studies that contribute directly to the formation of public policy. Award winners also receive complimentary registration for the annual meeting and for the awards luncheon.An individual may submit an application based on his or her own study or may nominate the work of another historian with the nominee's permission. Funded by Dr. Robinson's friends and admirers and administrated by the NCPH, the prize has been awarded every other year since 2001.

Eligibility.
1. The applicant/nominee must be a historian employed in a public agency or a contractor for a public agency at the time the study was prepared.

2. The study must have been prepared for use at some level of government, from municipal to national, and must have been completed within two years preceding the year in which the prize is awarded.

3. The applicant must show that the study directly contributed to public policy formation.

Criteria. Applications will be judged on the basis of professionalism, clarity, and impact on policy. Evidence of the latter might include 1) that the study was requested as an integral part of a policy-making process or 2) that the study was completed during the period of policy formation and demonstrably influenced its content. The Selection Committee strongly recommends that the application include a letter from the head of the applicant/nominee's office attesting to the study's impact on policy.

Submission Process. Submit four (4) copies of an application letter and supporting documents (including copies of the study) to:

NCPH, Robinson Award
327 Cavanaugh Hall - IUPUI
425 University Blvd.
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5148

Or, the nomination may be emailed to ncph@iupui.edu (as a Word or PDF attachment only). State “Robinson Award” clearly in the subject line. If emailing, submission must be in one complete document.

Submissions must be postmarked by 8 January 2009.