CALL FOR 2025 NOMINATIONS FOR PAHA AWARDS AND PRIZES

                                                    DEADLINE: JULY 31, 2025

The Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) is seeking nominations from its members for the following awards, to be presented by PAHA at its 82nd Annual Meeting in January 2026 in Chicago.

For further details about these awards and past recipients, see the PAHA webpage  polishamericanstudies.org/ under “Awards”.

Please send the nominations via email to Iwona Flis iwona.flis@phdstud.ug.edu.pl by July 31, 2025. Include the name of the award, awardee (with contact information) and brief statement  no more than one page highlighting why this nomination should be selected for the award. You can submit additional relevant information about the awardee.

  • Mieczyslaw Haiman Award is offered annually to a scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans.
  • Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those in the social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the year of the award.
  • Skalny Civic Achievement Award honors individuals or groups who advance PAHA's goals of promoting research and awareness of the Polish American experience. Possible initiatives may include preservation of artifacts or broader community initiatives related to Polonia. 
  • Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish American community.
  • James Pula Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization. This award honors Prof. James Pula, PAHA's past president and treasurer, and a long-time editor of the Polish American Studies.
  • Creative Arts Prize recognizes the contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas.
  • Joseph W. Zurawski Prize is awarded for the best article or book published on the topic of Polish American screen images in films or television presented to audiences in the United States and released by American companies. To be eligible, works must have been published within the past three years. It also includes a cash award.

Please note that self-nominations are not accepted.

GRADUATE STUDENT/YOUNG SCHOLAR TRAVEL GRANT

PAHA encourages graduate students and emerging scholars (up to three years after graduation) to apply for a Travel Grant. Two such grants of $500.00 each will be awarded to offset travel costs to attend the 2026 PAHA Annual Meeting in Chicago. The grants will be awarded to the two best conference proposals dealing with the Polish diaspora experience in any historical epoch, scholarly field, or aspect submitted by junior scholars.

To apply please submit the following documents: 

  • Your paper proposal (as required by the general CFP)
  • A brief letter of application 
  • A current CV
  • One letter of recommendation from a senior scholar (e.g. thesis advisor).

In order to receive the travel grant it is mandatory to present the paper at the conference in person. Awardees will receive remuneration during the Awards Ceremony at the Annual Meeting. Failure to present the paper in person at the annual meeting shall result in the withdrawal of the grant.

Please send your application packets by email to Iwona Flis iwona.flis@phdstud.ug.edu.pl with the subject line "Graduate Student Travel Grant" by July 31, 2025.