Applications/Nominations: 2026 Disability History Association Public History Award now open

2026 Public Disability History Award 

How are you making disability history come alive for people? What projects have you been working on? What excites you in this work? Please share with us what you know!

We are the Disability History Association and we want to reward your work. The awardee will receive $300 (US) and a one-on-one conversation with a fabulous public historian. We are currently accepting applications for our award that supports public history projects related to disability and disabled people. This award recognizes excellent disability history work intended primarily for broad audiences (not academic audiences). The award is also meant to further the project’s reach and goals. The award may go to an individual or group who has completed a project or to an individual or group who is planning on completing a project. We give this award every two years, and we encourage you to apply now.

What is public history? It is often community-engaged and is always about sharing stories with larger audiences and everyday people. This award seeks to support people who are passionate about bringing history to life with resources like original documents, everyday objects, research by other people or themselves, and oral history interviews. Public history can take many forms. It can include, but is not limited to:

• publications,
• documentary films,
• digital and web projects,
• exhibitions, or
• public programs such as an educational workshop.

Qualifications:

• Anyone may apply for this award or nominate another person’s or group’s project.
• Membership in DHA is encouraged but not required for consideration.
• Community-based and community-led disability history projects from the last two years are especially welcome.
• We seek applications from individuals, teams, organizations and especially projects that meaningfully engage disability and BIPOC communities.
• Partnerships with academic institutions, such as schools or universities, are not required.
• Projects may address any and all time periods and geographic regions.
• All applications must be in English, including for projects done in another language. If the project is not originally conveyed in written English, please provide a full translation.

TO APPLY: Submit the following materials by email by July 1, 2026 to the Award Committee Chair Bess Williamson at sewill32@ncsu.edu. Please submit a written document, video, or audio file that answers the below questions to the best of your knowledge.

Questions to Address:

1. What do you want people to know about the history you have found?
2. What did you learn and what is important for people to know?
3. If you are just beginning the project, how would you use the money? If this is for a completed project, ignore this question.
4. How have you worked with disability communities to research this topic (whether with documents or living people)? If you are just starting the project, how do you plan to work with disability communities?
5. Explain your access considerations for the project and how you’ve made it physically or programmatically accessible.
6. Who helped you on this project? Who did you collaborate with, if anyone? Please list your primary collaborators and participants, noting their affiliations (if any) and roles. The DHA is especially seeking applications from individuals and organizations that engage disability and BIPOC communities.
7. What sources did you find helpful on the project? Share at least five sources.

Supporting Materials:

Please submit no more than five supporting materials related to the project that you have. If you do not have any materials, that is fine. These materials could include:

1. Drafts, image files, pictures, links, or documents about the project

2. Media coverage about the project

3. Copies of public feedback about the project

4. Supporting letters from colleagues, partners, community members

Submission Guidelines: 

You may submit your application or nomination in three ways: a written document, a video, or an audio file. Applicants can also submit materials in another format if that is more accessible.

• Written Document. Please write 500-1,500 words and save the document in a Word or a PDF file. Then, email the document to sewill32@ncsu.edu.

OR

• Video/Audio File. You may create the video/audio however you would like, but please limit it to 10 minutes. Then, save the audio/video file to a cloud-based storage folder and send the link to the file to sewill32@ncsu.edu. Please be sure to change the permissions to make the file viewable.

If you are nominating someone else, please answer the above questions to the best of your knowledge and provide contact information for the project or the people who worked on the project.

Questions? Visit the DHA website for additional details about the DHA. You can also view this call for applications on the award website.  ​​