Lillie M. Newton Hornsby Memorial Award

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 The Lillie M. Newton Hornsby Award recognizes the best unpublished, original essay about Black women in any country and region of the world and in any time period by a Black woman pursuing a degree in History or a related field. The submission deadline is 11:59 pm CST on June 30, 2025. Winners will be notified by October 31, 2024, and she/they will be honored at our annual business meeting to be held in December 2024.

The nominated essay must:

• be at least 2,000 words not counting footnotes, endnotes, and/or bibliography/works cited (i.e., about 7 pages) from an undergraduate class or a chapter in an undergraduate thesis chapter completed between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024
• be wholly focused on some aspect of the history of 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, 2023 and May 31, 2024)
• have a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale or equivalent grading scale (Note: applicant must submit a transcript [either an official or unofficial copy])
• have submitted on her/their behalf at least one and up to two total letters of recommendation from professors and/or academic advisors on letterhead (Note: One of the recommendations must come from a current ABWH member in good standing. The letters must be submitted via email directly from the recommenders to the award committee.)

An applicant does not have to be an ABWH member.

To nominate an essay, please submit PDF copies of all of the following items using the form at bit.ly/HornsbyApplication:

• Minimum 2,000-word essay from an undergraduate class or a thesis chapter completed between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024
• transcript (official or unofficial copy)
• name(s) of the person(s) who will submit recommendation letter(s)

Please note:

• A student may self-nominate her/their own article.
• A student does not have to be an ABWH member.
• All materials (including letter(s) of recommendation) must be received by June 30, 2024.
• ABWH members are strongly encouraged to nominate eligible students and to encourage eligible students to apply.

Required Recommendation Letters
Recommendation letters must be emailed directly from the recommender(s) to the award committee. Recommenders, please email a PDF copy of your letter (on letterhead) to the Hornsby Prize Committee at abwhhornsby@gmail.com. Please write 2024 Hornsby Prize Nomination and the nominee’s name in the subject line. Important:

• Recommendation letters must be on letterhead
• 1 letter of recommendation must come from a current ABWH member in good standing
• Optional: 1 additional letter of recommendation is allowed from a professor and/or academic advisor (Note: This person may or may not be a member of ABWH)
• Letter(s) must be received via email to abwhhornsby@gmail.com by 11:59 p.m. CST (USA) on Sunday, June 30, 2024 (no exceptions)

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To submit your essay and transcript, please complete the form at bit.ly/HornsbyApplication. You will complete a short form. The form also has links to upload your essay and transcript. The essay and all required materials (including letters of recommendation) must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CST on Sunday, June 30, 2024 (no exceptions).

Please direct any questions to abwhhornsby@gmail.com.

In 1995, Alton Hornsby Jr. (1940-2017), a professor of history at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), 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.