First Book Award

About this program

Immigration and Ethnic History Society (IEHS) offers the annual First Book Award, a $2,000 prize presented at the IEHS banquet during the OAH, to recognize early career scholars for first academic monographs in U.S. immigration and ethnic history of the United States and/or North America. Eligible books must be the author’s first single‑author academic monograph, copyrighted in 2025, based on substantial primary research, and present a major new scholarly interpretation; edited collections and multi‑authored volumes are ineligible. Nominations may be made by the author, the publisher, a prize committee member, or an IEHS member; inquiries and nominations should be sent to firstbookaward@iehs.org and hard copies mailed to committee members, and limited assistance for banquet attendance is available on request. The submission deadline for the referenced cycle has passed; details for the next cycle will be available in May 2026.