AJHA Awards

Kobre | Book Award | Distinguished Service to Journalism History | Excellence in Teaching | Local Journalist Award

The Margaret Blanchard Doctoral Dissertation Prize

Deadline for entries (postmark date): February 1, 2012.

The AJHA Margaret A. Blanchard Doctoral Dissertation Prize, given for the first time in 1997, is awarded annually for the best doctoral dissertation dealing with mass communication history. An honorarium of $500 accompanies the prize, and a $200 honorarium is awarded to each honorable mention.

Eligible works shall include both quantitative and qualitative historical dissertations, written in English, which have been completed between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011. For the purposes of this award, a "completed" work is defined as one which has not only been submitted and defended but also revised and filed in final form at the applicable doctoral-degree-granting university by December 31, 2011.

To be considered, nomination packets must include:

(a) One copy of the complete dissertation;
(b) Four copies each of the following items, with all author, school, and dissertation committee identification of any kind whited-out:
            (i.) a single chapter from the dissertation [preferably not to exceed 50 manuscript pages, not including notes, charts or photographs],
            (ii.) a 200-word dissertation abstract,
            (iii.) the dissertation table of contents;
(c) a letter of nomination from the dissertation chair/director or the chair of the university department in which the dissertation was written;
(d) a cover letter from the nominee indicating a willingness, should the dissertation be selected for a prize, both to attend the awarding ceremony and to deliver a public presentation based on the dissertation at the 2012 American Journalism Historians Association Annual Convention.

Note: Regarding Paragraph (b.)(i.) above, as a guide to selecting a chapter for submission, the Award Committee has in the past expressed a preference for a chapter which, if possible, highlights the work's strengths as a piece of primary-sourced original research.

Nominations, along with all the supporting materials, should be sent to:

The deadline for entries is a postmark date of February 1, 2012.

The Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism History

The organization's highest honor recognizes individuals with an exemplary record of sustained achievement in journalism history through teaching, research, professional activities, or other contributions to the field of journalism history. Award winners need not be members of the AJHA. Nominations for the award are solicited annually, but the award need not be given every year. Those making nominations for the award should present, at the minimum, a cover letter that explains the nominee's contributions to the field as well as a vita or brief biography of the nominee. Supporting letters for the nomination are also welcome.

Nominations are due by May 11, 2012, and should be submitted to:

The AJHA Book of the Year Award

Recognizes the best in journalism history or mass media history published during calendar year. The book must have been granted a first-time copyright in 2011. Entrants should submit four copies of their books to the book award coordinator by March 31, 2012.

Send materials to:

Distinguished Service to Journalism History Award

The Distinguished Service to Journalism History Award recognizes contributions by an individual outside our discipline who has made an extraordinary effort to further significantly our understanding of, or our ability to explore, media history. Nominations are solicited annually, but the award is given only in exceptional situations. Thus, it is not given every year. Those making nominations for the award should present, at the minimum, a cover letter that explains the nominee's contributions to the field as well as a vita or brief biography of the nominee. Supporting letters for the nomination are also welcome.

Nominating letters and supporting materials should be submitted by May 11, 2012, to:

AJHA National Award for Excellence in Teaching

Deadline for entries (postmark date): July 15, 2011.

The annual AJHA Award for Excellence in Teaching honors a college or university teacher who excels at teaching in the areas of journalism and mass communication history, makes a positive impact on student learning, and offers an outstanding example for other educators.

An honorarium of $500 accompanies the prize.

Eligibility: A nominee may be tenured or untenured, and should hold either a full- or part-time appointment at a college or university that confers an associate, baccalaureate or higher degree in journalism, mass communication, communication studies, or history as of the submission due date. All nominees must have responsibility for teaching the history of journalism and mass communication either as a stand-alone course or as part of a broader course.

Nomination packets must include:

• Curriculum vitae
• Statement of teaching philosophy (no more than 2 pages)
• A syllabus from a favorite course (must be mass comm. history-related)
• Sample assignment and/or sample lecture
• Teaching evaluations (summary tables, previous 2 years if untenured; 4 years if tenured).
  Written peer and/or tenured faculty reviews of teaching may also be included.
• Letters of support - one from each level:
  • Administrator (dean/chair)
  • Colleague
  • Former student (be sure to indicate the relationship of the individual to the nominee and institution, e.g., is the individual currently a graduate student in the nominee’s department?)

Send to:

Barbara Friedman
Chair, AJHA Education Committee
University of North Carolina
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
CB 3365
Chapel Hill NC 27599

Questions may be directed to bfriedman@unc.edu.

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