The Southwestern

Historical Association

Guidelines for Annual Paper Competition.

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(Approved by the Annual Business Meeting, San Antonio, 1 April 1994.)

I.   Purpose of the Competition.
The Purpose of the Annual Paper Competition of the Southwest Historical Association (SwHA) is to give special recognition to the authors of scholarly papers of exceptionally high quality, in order to promote the advancement of historical research and to enhance the quality of paper sessions on the History program of the Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Social Science Association (SSSA).

II.   Competition Categories.
The Competition is conducted in four categories, with a "Best Paper" to be selected in each of the following:
          A.   United States History;
          B.   European and Asian History;
          C.   Latin American and African History; and
          D.   Phi Alpha Theta.

III.   Eligibility.
          A.   Only individuals presenting papers on the History or Interdisciplinary sections of the program of the corresponding Annual Meeting of the SSSA are eligible to participate in the Competition during any given year.
           B.   Members of Prize Committees and officers of the SwHA are not eligible to compete.

IV.   Preparation of Entries.
          A.   A paper submitted to the Competition must be identical to the paper the author presents at the corresponding Annual Meeting of the SSSA, with the exception that the author is free to alter form and content in his or her oral presentation.
            B.   Papers submitted to the Competition must be typewritten or word-processed, double-spaced, and prepared according to generally acceptable professional standards, such as those found in Turabian or the Chicago Manual of Style.
           C.   Papers submitted to the Competition must be the length of the one presented in the session and may not exceed 20 pages, exclusive of notes.

V.   Submission of Entries.
            A.   To submit a paper to the Competition, the author must send separate copies to each member of the Prize Committee for the appropriate category subsequent to sending copies to the panel chair and/or discussant.
            B.   No paper may be entered in more than one category.
            C.   Papers submitted in the Phi Alpha Theta category must be the work of persons who were in enrolled student status at the time they were written.
            D.   Deadline for receipt of entries will be February 15 or 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting, whichever falls earlier.

VI.   Constitution of Prize Committees.
            A.   The judging of Competition entries will be the responsibility of separate Prize Committees representing each of the four categories.
            B.   Each Prize Committee will consist of three members, who will serve for staggered three-year terms, one new member being appointed to each Committee in each year.
            C.   Incoming Prize Committee members will be appointed by the President of the SwHA in consultation with the appropriate Vice-President / Program Co-ordinators.
             D.   In each Prize Committee, the committee member who is in his or her third and final year of service will automatically serve as chairperson. 
             E.  In case of a premature vacancy in a Prize Committee, the President of the SwHA will, upon consultation with the appropriate Vice-President / Program Co-ordinator, appoint a replacement, who will occupy the departing member's place in the rotation.

VII.   Functioning of  Prize Committees.
             A.  During the period between the deadline for submission and the Annual Meeting of the SSSA, each Prize Committee will review the papers submitted for the Competition in its category.
              B.   Employing generally accepted professional standards, each Prize Committee will identify a single submission to be recognized as the "Best Paper" in its category.
             C.   Committees may, at their discretion, designate in addition one or more papers to receive "Honourable Mention."
             D.  A Prize Committee may decline to designate a "Best Paper" if, in its collective judgement, there is no paper of sufficient quality to merit the award.
             E.   The decision of a Prize Committee will be considered final.

VIII.   Recognition of Winners.
            A.  The results of the Competition in each category will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting of the SwHA.
            B.   Recipients of "Best Paper" distinction will receive a cash prize, in addition to a formal letter of recognition from the SwHA.
            C.   Recipients of  "Honourable Mention" will receive a letter of recognition as above, but will not receive a cash prize.
             D.   The actual amount of the cash prize will be determined by the Executive Council of the SwHA, and will be adjusted periodically with due consideration for the financial condition of the association.

IX.  Named Awards.
            By action of previous Annual Business Meetings, the "Best Paper" distinctions in certain categories have been named for present and former members of the SwHA in recognition of their services to the association and the profession.  "Best Paper" awards which currently have alternative designations are:
            A.   The "Best Paper" prize in European and Asian History, which is known also as the Walter R. Craddock Award; and
             B.   The "Best Paper" prize in the Phi Alpha Theta category, which is known also as the Ben Procter Award.

X.  Responsibilities of Prize Committee Chairpersons.
             A.   The Chairperson of each Prize Committee is responsible for co-ordinating the activities of the committee and for ensuring that a decision is made in time to announce it at the Annual Business Meeting of the SwHA.
             B.   The Chairperson will prepare and present the report of the Prize Committee,  which will consist of the title of the "Best Paper" and the name and institutional affiliation of its author, as well as similar information for any paper designated to receive "Honourable Mention."
             C.   If the Chairperson of a Prize Committee is unable to attend the business meeting in person, another member of the Committee may make the report in his or her place.  If no member of Committee can be present, prior to the business meeting the Chairperson will communicate the contents of the report directly to the First Vice-President / General Program Chair, who will then be responsible for reporting the Competition outcome.
             D.   The Chairperson of a Prize Committee should make every effort to notify the recipients of "Best Paper" and "Honourable Mention" distinctions in advance so that they can be present to be recognized in person at the business meeting.  It is also appropriate to notify the chairperson of the paper session at which the honored paper is to be presented, so that an appropriate announcement can be made at that time.

XI.  Responsibilities of SwHA Officers.
             A.   The President of the SwHA is responsible for making appointments to Prize Committees, in consultation with the appropriate Vice-Presidents / Program Co-ordinators.
             B.   The First Vice-President / General Program Chair of the SwHA is responsible for:
                         1)  Notification to all eligible persons of the terms of the Competition, including standards of presentation, length limit, mode of submission, and deadline date;
                         2)  Notification to all Prize Committee chairpersons and members of their responsibilities with regard to the Competition; and
                         3)  Presentation of a Prize Committee's report to the Annual Business Meeting when no member of the committee is present.
              C.   The Secretary-Treasurer of the SwHA is responsible for:
                         1)   Post-award correspondence, including formal letters of recognition to recipients of "Best Paper" and "Honourable Mention" distinctions, and official notification of awards to key administrators at recipients' home institutions; and
                         2)  Timely issuance of cash awards to recipients of "Best Paper" distinctions.
              D.   The Executive Council of the SwHA is responsible for establishing the actual amounts of cash awards, and for adjusting them periodically with due consideration for the financial condition of the association.
               E.   The Chairperson of the Resolutions Committee is responsible for the official recognition by SwHA Resolution of services rendered by Prize Committee chairpersons and members.

Drafted by Light T Cummins, chair (Austin College); Kim Hanger (Tulsa); F Bullitt Lowry (North Texas); Sarah C Neitzel (UT-PanAmerican); Janet Schmelzer (Tarleton State); and Amos E Simpson (Southwestern Louisiana).  Amended and adopted at the Annual Business Meeting at San Antonio, 1 April 1994.

Page last reviewed 9 July 2004.