Established in 1953, this prize carries a $500 cash stipend. Originally, it was established to improve the quality of articles in the HAHR as, in addition to the cash award, the winning article was to be published in the HAHR. In 1957 its terms were changed to provide an award for an article already published. However, the provision that unpublished articles might also be considered was retained.

The James Alexander Robertson Prize is awarded annually for an article appearing (during the year preceding the award) in one of the four consecutive issues of the 2024 volume year for the 2025 award, awarded at the conference in January 2026.  The article selected for the award is to be one that, in the judgment of the prize committee, makes an outstanding contribution to Latin American historical literature. An Honorable Mention Award (with no cash stipend) may be made for an additional distinguished article deemed worthy of the same by the Robertson Prize Committee.

Note: The CLAH requires current membership for all of its prizes and awards.

The Executive Director should be informed of the committee’s decision no later than October 15, 2025.

Robertson Prize Committee for 2025: 

Anne Rubenstein (chair)
York University

Marc Becker
Truman State University

Margaret Power
Illinois Institute of Technology

Donations to the Robertson Prize fund can be made here.

To see the list of past Robertson Prize recipients and prize committees, see here.