Prize
Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize
Established in 1983, the Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize, sponsored by the Association for Slavic Studies, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and the Stanford University Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, is awarded annually for the most important contribution to Russian, Eurasian, and East European studies in any discipline of the humanities or social sciences published in English in the United States in the previous calendar year. The Vucinich Book Prize carries a cash award and is presented at the ASEEES Annual Convention.
Rules of Eligibility
Rules of eligibility for the Vucinich book prize competition are as follows:
- The publication date inside the book must list the previous calendar year as the date of publication. For example, the book must have been a publication date of 2023 to be eligible for the 2024 competition. If no publication date is listed, the copyright date will be taken as the publication date.
- The book must be a monograph, preferably by a single author, or by no more than two authors.
- The book must be published in the United States and originally published in English.
- Authors may be of any nationality.
- Works may deal with any area of Eastern Europe, Russia, or Eurasia.
- The competition is open to works of scholarship in any discipline of the social sciences or humanities (including literature, the arts, film, etc.).
- Policy analyses, however scholarly, cannot be considered.
- Textbooks, collections, translations (including self-translations), bibliographies, and reference works are ineligible.
- Self-published works are also ineligible.
Nominating Instructions
A book can be nominated by the publisher or the author only. The nominator (publisher or author) is responsible for sending copies of the book to the prize committee members.
Fill out and submit this form to notify the Association of your intent to nominate a publication for Vucinich prize. As of 2020, books may only be nominated for two prizes (e.g.,this prize and one other).
Send one copy of eligible monograph to each Committee member (see addresses below). The nomination form must be submitted by no later than April 15. And books must be received by the prize committee members by May 15 (books received after the deadline may not be considered).
Submissions should be clearly marked “Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize Nomination.”
Questions should be directed to [email protected].
2026 Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize Committee
The winner of the 2026 Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize will be chosen by the following scholars. For all committee members, print books are preferred, but where needed ebooks can be accepted at the addresses below. For questions, please contact ASEEES at [email protected] or 412-648-9911.
COMMITTEE CHAIR
Willard Sunderland
U of Cincinnati, 2025-2026
Print books are preferred. Please mail them to:
Willard Sunderland
Department of History,
University of Cincinnati
P.O. Box 210373
2700 Campus Way
Cincinnati, OH 45219-0373
Where needed, ebooks will be accepted. Please send them to:
[email protected]
Sibelan Forrester Swarthmore College, 2025-2026
Print books are preferred. Please email [email protected] for the mailing address.
Where needed, ebooks will be accepted. They can be sent to:
[email protected]
Scott Radnitz
U of Washington, 2026-2027
Print books are preferred. They can be sent to:
Scott Radnitz
Jackson School of International Studies
Thomson Hall, Box 353650
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
Where needed, ebooks will be accepted. They can be sent to: [email protected]
Grant Harward
U.S. Army Center for Military History, 2026-2027
Print books are preferred. Please email [email protected] for the mailing address.
Where needed, ebooks will be accepted. They can be sent to: [email protected]
(For customs use): Please mark the nominated books as “gift” to alert Customs that this is not a commercial shipment/to insure the recipient does not have to pay for the items.
Past Winners
The following scholars received the Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize in the past:
Click to Read Award Citations
- 2025 Benjamin Nathans
- 2025 Masha Salazkina
- 2025 Honorable Mention
- 2024 Egor Lazarev
- 2024 Honorable Mention
- 2023 Geneviève Zubrzycki
- 2022 Faith Hillis
- 2021 Ana Hedberg Olenina
- 2021 Honorable Mention
- 2020 Eliot Borenstein
- 2020 Honorable Mention
- 2019 Eleonory Gilburd
- 2019 Honorable Mentions
- 2018 Natalia Roudakova
- 2018 Honorable Mention
- 2017 Benjamin Peters
- 2017 Honorable Mention
- 2016 Ronald Grigor Suny
- 2016 Honorable Mentions
- 2015 Ekaterina Pravilova
- 2015 Honorable Mentions
- 2014 Kate Brown
- 2014 Honorable Mention
- 2013 Jeremy Hicks
- 2012 Catherine Evtuhov
- 2012 Honorable Mentions
- 2011 Matthew Jesse Jackson
- 2011 Honorable Mentions
- 2010 Miriam Dobson
- 2009 Laurie Manchester
- 2009 Honorable Mention
- 2008 Adeeb Khalid
- 2008 Honorable Mentions
- 2007 Alexei Yurchak
- 2007 Honorable Mentions
- 2006 Francine Hirsch
- 2006 Honorable Mention
1983–2005 Archive
- 2005 Yuri Slezkine
- 2005 HM – Kate Brown
- 2004 William Taubman
- 2004 HM – Katherine Verdery
- 2003 Benjamin Nathans
- 2003 HM – Slava Gerovitch
- 2002 Terry Martin
- 2002 HM – Michael McFaul
- 2001 Alaina Lemon
- 2000 Peter Gatrell
- 2000 HM – Nikolay Boogomolov & John E. Malmstad
- 1999 David D. Laitin
- 1998 Stephen E. Hanson
- 1997 Tomas Venclova
- 1996 Katerina Clark
- 1996 Andrzej Walicki
- 1995 David Holloway
- 1995 HM – Monika Greenleaf
- 1994 Gale Stokes
- 1994 HM – Donna Orwin
- 1993 Laura Engelstein
- 1993 HM – Abraham Ascher
- 1992 John P. LeDonne
- 1991 Istvan Deak
- 1990 Richard Stites
- 1989 Piotr S. Wandycz
- 1988 Allan K. Wildman
- 1987 William Edward Brown
- 1986 Jeffrey Brooks
- 1985 Ivo Banac
- 1984 Terence Emmons
- 1984 HM – Victoria Bonnell
- 1984 HM – Robert O. Crummey
- 1984 HM – Gregory L. Freeze
- 1983 John R. Lampe and Marvin R. Jackson
- 1983 HM – Richard Hellie
- 1983 HM – Edward J. Brown
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