The John Gilmary Shea Prize is given annually to the author of a book, published during a preceding twelve-month period, which is judged by a committee of experts to have made the most original and distinguished contribution to knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church. Any author who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada is eligible. The prize consists of $750.

           The next prize will be presented on January 4, 2009, in New York City; at the Association's eighty-ninth annual meeting. Books to be entered in the competition this year must have been published between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2008. Three copies, identified as entries, should be sent by August 1, one to each of the following members of the committee of judges:

Professor Thomas C. Reeves, Chairman

The University of Wisconsin, Parkside

send books to:  15725 Two Mile Road, Franksville, WI 53126-9607

Professor David Burr, Emeritus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the State University, Blacksburg send books to:  3352 Indian Meadow Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060-8842

One to be announced

Inquiries may be addressed either to Professor Reeves or to the secretary of the Association.

          The Howard R. Marraro Prize is given annually to the author of a book that is judged by a committee of experts to be the most distinguished work dealing with Italian history or Italo-American history or relations that has been published in a preceding twelve-month period. It is named in memory of Howard A. Marraro (1879-1972), who was a professor in Columbia University and the author of more than a dozen books on Italian literature, history, and culture. In his last will Professor Marraro bequeathed to the Association a sum to be invested as a fund, the income from which would be awarded each year as a prize. The amount is $750. Any author who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada is eligible.

            The next prize will be presented on January 4, 2009, in New York City, at the Association's eighty-ninth annual meeting. Books to be entered in the competition this year must have been published between May 1, 2007, and April 30, 2008. Three copies of each book, together with a brief curriculum vitae and bibliography of the author, must be postmarked on or before May 15, 2008, and sent to the Book Prize Administrator, American Historical Association at 400 A Street, S.E., Washington, DC 20003 (telephone: 202-544-2422). Each copy must be labeled "Marraro Prize Entry."

           The committee of judges consists of three historians representing respectively the American Catholic Historical Association, the American Historical Association, and the Society for Italian Historical Studies, for each of which Professor Marraro endowed a prize. The representative of the American Catholic Historical Association is Professor Kenneth Gouwens of the University of Connecticut, Department of History, 1262 Storrs Road, Storrs Mansfield, Connecticut 06269-0003. E-mail address is clement.7@uconn.edu.

           The Peter Guilday Prize is awarded for a manuscript, accepted by the editor of the Catholic Historical Review, that is the author's first scholarly publication. Entries must be submitted as articles; those received in the editorial office by September 1 of any year will be considered for that year's prize, the amount of which is $100. The winning article will be published in the following year.

           Any author who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada is eligible.

         The John Tracy Ellis Dissertation Award, which carries a purse of $1,200, memorializes the scholarship and teaching of Monsignor Ellis (1905-1992). Its purpose is to assist a graduate student working on some aspect of the history of the Catholic Church. The eleventh annual award will be announced at the Association's eighty-ninth meeting, which will be held in New York City, on  January 2-5, 2009.

         Eligibility: Those wishing to enter the competition for the award must be citizens or authorized residents (i.e., permanent residents or on student visas) of the United States or Canada, and must be enrolled in a doctoral program at a reception at a recognized institution of higher education.

           Procedures: Applicants must submit the following materials:

           (1)   three copies of a statement from the chairman (or director of graduate studies) of  the applicant's department certifying that he or she has completed all the degree requirements for the doctorate except for the dissertation, and has received departmental approval to undertake work on a dissertation topic dealing with some aspect of the history of the Catholic Church;

           (2)   three copies of a statement written by the applicant, not exceeding 1,000 words in            length, describing the dissertation project and the way in which the award would be used to further its completion;

           (3) two sealed letters of recommendation from scholars familiar with the applicant's work, one of whom must be his or her dissertation director.

These materials must be sent by September 30, 2008, to the secretary of the Association.

           This year the judges are Professor Ann C. Rose, Chairman of Pennsylvania State University; and Brad S. Gregory of the University of Notre Dame, and one to be appointed.