Prize

Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History

The Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History, established in 2009 and sponsored by the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, is awarded annually for an outstanding monograph published on Russia, Eastern Europe or Eurasia in the field of history in the previous calendar year. The Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History carries a cash award. The award is presented at the ASEEES Annual Convention.

Rules of Eligibility

Rules of eligibility for the Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History 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 originally in the form of a monograph, preferably by a single author, or by no more than two authors.
  • The book must be originally published in English.
  • Authors may be of any nationality.
  • Works should deal with any area of Russia, Eastern Europe, or Eurasia.
  • The competition is limited to works of historical scholarship broadly understood.
  • Textbooks, collections, translations (including self-translations), bibliographies, and reference works are ineligible.
  • Self-published books are 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 the Zelnik 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 no later than May 15 (books not received by the deadline may not be considered).

Submissions should be clearly marked “Reginald Zelnik Book Prize Nomination.”

Questions should be directed to aseees-prizes@pitt.edu.

2024 Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History Committee

The winner of the 2024 Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History will be chosen by the following scholars. For questions, please contact ASEEES at aseees-prizes@pitt.edu or 412-648-9911..

COMMITTEE CHAIR

Aaron Retish
Wayne State University, 2022-2024
Print books are preferred. Please send them to:
Aaron Retish
25447 Wareham Dr.
Huntington Woods, MI 48070
Where needed, ebooks will be accepted. They can be sent to: aretish@wayne.edu

Malgorzata Fidelis
University of Illinois at Chicago, 2024-2026
Print books are preferred. Please email aseees-prizes@pitt.edu for the mailing address.
Where needed, ebooks will be accepted. They can be sent to: gosia01@uic.edu

Stephen Norris
Miami University of Ohio, 2024-2025
Print books are preferred. Please send them to:
Stephen Norris
5750 Genevieve Pl.
Fairfield, OH 45014
Where needed, ebooks will be accepted. They can be sent to: norriss1@miamioh.edusadphill@indiana.edu

(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 Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History in the past:

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