Women’s History Matters Essay Competition

Do you know a researcher who might be interested in this competition? Is someone working one of your collections related to the theme? Pass it on!


From Women’s History Matters: 

In honor of the centennial of woman suffrage in Montana, the Women’s History Matters Essay Prize Committee at the University of Montana, Montana State University and the Montana Historical Society are sponsoring a call for entries for the Women’s History Matters Essay Competition.

We invite submissions that explore comparative studies of women in Montana and the West, Native American women’s histories, studies of women’s roles in social movements and institution building, biographical accounts of individual women, feminist historical analyses of forces shaping Montana and the West, and more contemporary accounts of women’s social and political action into the late twentieth century.

Essays should be approximately 6,000 to 8,000 words (including footnotes), based in original research in primary resources, complete with footnotes, and prepared in accordance with Chicago Manual of Style. Manuscripts should be double-spaced, 12-point font, and submitted electronically (in .doc or .docx format). 

Criteria for judging will include:
Originality of topic or approach
Quality and depth of research
Contribution to western women’s history
Coherence of argument
Clarity of presentation

 Cash awards will be given to the winning essays. Prize-winning essays will be considered for possible publication by the Montana Historical Society in a special issue of Montana The Magazine of Western History and a Montana Historical Society Press anthology dedicated to women’s history.

 Deadline for submission is October 31, 2014. Electronic submission is required: https://mhspublications.submittable.com/submit  

Please contact Molly Holz, mholz@mt.gov for more information.

Categories: call for papers