The Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to sponsor the Richard Gilder History Prize. This prize serves as an opportunity for Affiliate School teachers to recognize a promising and passionate history student in their school.
Stay tuned to our monthly Affiliate School offers, where we will announce the process to honor a student for the next Richard Gilder History Prize.
The Richard Gilder History Prize has been honoring students since 2020 and serves as an opportunity for Affiliate School teachers to recognize a promising and passionate history student in their school.
Each of the books awarded as the Richard Gilder History Prize includes a commemorative bookplate, allowing schools to personalize the prize, making it a great award to include in an end-of-year classroom ceremony. In addition, high school students honored with the Richard Gilder History Prize have the opportunity to join the Gilder Lehrman History Scholars, an honorary group of students who are among the first to learn about new courses, scholarships, and other opportunities offered by the Institute.
Stay tuned to our Affiliate School offers, where we will announce the process to honor a student for the next Richard Gilder History Prize.
In March 2025, we sent more than 5,300 copies of The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence by David Waldstreicher, winner of the 2024 George Washington Prize.
In November 2023, we sent 5,200 copies of 1774: The Long Year of Revolution by Mary Beth Norton, winner of the 2021 George Washington Prize.
In March 2022, we sent 5,900 copies of David McCullough’s collection of speeches and essays, The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For.
In March 2021, we sent 3,500 copies of Why Documents Matter, our book of foundational documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection.
For the inaugural Richard Gilder History Prize in January 2020, we sent 5,000 copies of two-time Pulitzer Prize–winner David McCullough’s bestselling book 1776 to teachers in our Affiliate School network, for each school to award to a student of their choosing.