Finalists for the Twelfth Annual Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize Announced
Award Ceremony to be held on December 2 in New York City
New York, NY, August 28, 2025 – The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announced today the three finalists for the twelfth annual Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize.
The $50,000 prize is bestowed in recognition of the best English-language book published in 2024 in the field of American military history, distinguished by its scholarship, its contribution to the literature, and its appeal to the broadest possible general reading public. An event celebrating the winner and the shortlisted authors will take place on December 2 at the Yale Club of New York City. It will be free and open to the public. Contact events@gilderlehrman.org to register and learn more.
The three finalists for the 2024 prize were chosen from a pool of ninety-five worthy candidates by a three-member jury. The finalists are Tim Cook for The Good Allies: How Canada and the United States Fought Together to Defeat Fascism during the Second World War (Allen Lane, 2024); Evan Mawdsley for Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory (Yale University Press, 2024); and Vaughn Scribner for Under Alien Skies: Environment, Suffering, and the Defeat of the British Military in Revolutionary America (The University of North Carolina Press, 2024).
This year’s jury chair was Colonel (Retired) Kevin J. Weddle, PhD, Distinguished Fellow, United States Army War College. He was joined by Michael S. Neiberg, Professor of History and Chair of War Studies at the United States Army War College, and Susannah J. Ural, Professor of History and Frank and Virginia Williams Chair for Abraham Lincoln and Civil War Studies at Mississippi State University.
The jury will present their recommendations to the board of the prize: James G. Basker, President and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; Robert C. Daum; Griff Norquist; and Lieutenant General (Retired) Michelle D. Johnson. After a decision has been made by the board, the winner will be announced in early October.
The purpose of the Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize is to draw public attention to American military history not only as an important staple of education in the areas of international relations, diplomacy, and conflict studies, but also as a subject in which any educated citizen should be interested. The study of the steps to war, conduct of military campaigns, and diplomatic responses to war can play an essential role in the quest for a more peaceable future.
About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) was founded in 1994 by Lewis E. Lehrman and the late Richard Gilder, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education. The Institute is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources, at the core of which is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history, with more than 87,000 primary source documents. Learn more at gilderlehrman.org and follow GLI on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and X (formerly Twitter).
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