The Lillie M. Newton Hornsby Award recognizes the best unpublished, original essay by a Black woman undergraduate student pursuing a degree in History or related field. The winners will be notified by mid-September, and she/they will be honored at our business meeting.

In 1995, Alton Hornsby Jr. (1940-2017), a professor of history at Morehouse College, created the Lillie M. Newton Hornsby Award to honor his late mother. Mrs. Hornsby is remembered for her unwavering commitment to the education of her children and her community at large. Dr. Hornsby continued his mother’s example of self-sacrifice for the greater collective good through his support of this award for African-descended undergraduate women.

The nominated essay must:

  • be at least 2,000 words (about 7 pages) from an undergraduate class or a thesis chapter completed between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023
  • be wholly focused on some aspect of history on Black women in the U.S. and/or African Diaspora
  • involve interpretation of primary sources
  • focus on the ideas or actions initiated among Black women in the U.S. and/or African Diaspora

The applicant must:

  • be a Black woman undergraduate student currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in History or a related field (or be a recent undergraduate student awarded her/their bachelor’s degree between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023)
  • have a minimum 3.0 GPA (Note: applicant must submit a transcript [official or unofficial copy])
  • have submitted on her/their behalf up to two letters of recommendation from professors and/or academic advisors on letterhead (Note: One of the recommendations must come from an ABWH member in good standing. The letters must be submitted via email directly from the recommender to the award committee.)

The applicant does not have to be an ABWH member.

To nominate an essay, please email PDF copies of the following items to the Hornsby Prize Committee at abwhhornsby@gmail.com (please write 2023 Hornsby Prize Nomination in the subject line):

  • Minimum 2,000-word essay from an undergraduate class or a thesis chapter completed between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023
  • transcript (official or unofficial copy)
  • 1 letter of recommendation by an ABWH member in good standing
  • Optional: 1 additional letter of recommendation from a professor and/or academic advisor

A student may self-nominate an article. A student does not have to be an ABWH member. ABWH members are strongly encouraged to nominate eligible students. The essay and all required materials must be submitted to abwhhornsby@gmail.com by Friday, June 30, 2023, 11:59 p.m. EST (no exceptions).

Please direct any questions to abwhhornsby@gmail.com.

See a list of all ABWH awards here.