The William Burr Prize in Nuclear History

Awarded Annually • $500 (CAD)

About the William Burr Prize

We are delighted to announce a dissertation prize run jointly by the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) and McGill-Queen’s University Press (MQUP). This annual prize is awarded for the best PhD dissertation (or PhD thesis) in the field of nuclear history, broadly defined. After three years the prize will be reviewed to ensure that the quantity and quality of applicants meet expectations.

In addition to the financial award, the winner receives ongoing mentorship from an editor of the MQUP book series Global Nuclear Histories with tailored support on turning one’s PhD dissertation into a book manuscript, a book manuscript workshop involving experts in the field providing detailed feedback on the manuscript before peer review, and by accepting the prize, the winner agrees to give MQUP the right of first refusal on the resulting monograph for publication in the book series, Global Nuclear Histories.

Eligibility

The prize is open to all scholars regardless of nationality or institution. We welcome both self-nominations from recently completed PhD students and nominations from supervisors. The dissertation must pertain to any aspect of nuclear history, broadly defined, in any part of the world. If the dissertation is not in English, at least the introduction and one of the chapters must be translated into English for consideration. If a dissertation written in a language other than English is selected for the prize, it will be the author’s responsibility to translate the entire manuscript for publication in the MQUP book series. At least one SHAFR member will serve on the selection committee along with editors of the MQUP book series.

Procedures

The prize is open to all nationalities and institutions and welcomes dissertations on any aspect of nuclear history, anywhere in the world. Eligible dissertations must have been submitted in final form between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025. Self-nominations and supervisor nominations are welcome.

Submission Procedures

To apply or nominate a dissertation, please review the requirements below.