Dan David Prize 2027: Up to Nine $300,000 Awards for Early- and Mid-Career Scholars and Practitioners Who Study the Human Past

Dan David Prize 2027: Up to Nine $300,000 Awards for Early- and Mid-Career Scholars and Practitioners Who Study the Human Past

The Dan David Prize is the largest history prize in the world, and its 2027 cycle is open now. Each year the Prize awards up to nine prizes of $300,000 each to outstanding early- and mid-career scholars and practitioners whose work illuminates the human past. It is a rare thing: a major, unrestricted award aimed squarely at people who are still building their careers rather than at established eminences collecting a lifetime-achievement medal. A historian a decade past their PhD, an archaeologist running early field seasons, a museum curator, or a documentary filmmaker interpreting the past for a wide audience can all be recognized on the same footing.

There is one structural fact to understand before anything else: the Dan David Prize runs on an open nomination process, and self-nominations are not considered. You cannot apply for it directly. Instead, someone else — a colleague, a mentor, a former student, a collaborator — submits your name, and the nomination itself takes only a short form. For the 2027 Prize, the nomination deadline is October 13, 2026. This page explains what the Prize offers, who is eligible, how the nomination process works, and — because the award is nomination-driven — how a strong candidate can realistically position themselves to be put forward.

Key Details at a Glance

What the Prize Offers

Each winner receives $300,000, and the Prize awards up to nine of them a year — a total that makes it the most generous prize dedicated to the historical disciplines anywhere. The award is given both in recognition of a winner’s contribution to the study of the past and to support their future work. Unlike a project grant tied to a specific proposal and a set of deliverables, this is a personal award to the scholar or practitioner. Winners are honored for what they have already done and backed to keep doing it.

The Prize was founded in 2001 by the entrepreneur and philanthropist Dan David, originally as a “roving” award that handed out three $1 million prizes each year in rotating fields spanning past, present, and future. Ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2021, the Foundation reimagined it. Reflecting Dan David’s own passion for history and archaeology — and a conviction that the humanities, and history in particular, are under-invested in at a moment when understanding the past matters for democratic discourse — the Prize was refocused entirely on the study of the human past. The Foundation behind it is an independent charitable organization endowed in 2000; the Prize itself is headquartered at Tel Aviv University.

Beyond the money, winning brings significant international recognition. Being named among a handful of the world’s most promising historians, archaeologists, and interpreters of the past is a durable credential that travels across academic and public audiences alike.

Who Is Eligible

The Prize is deliberately broad about what counts as studying the human past and specific about when in a career it steps in. Nominees can come from any field related to the study of the human past, inside or outside academia. The Prize names disciplines such as history, archaeology, art history, digital humanities, and human palaeontology, and it explicitly welcomes independent scholars, public historians, museum curators, and documentary filmmakers. Chronological, geographical, and methodological focus are all open — there is no favored period or region.

To be eligible, a nominee must:

• Be engaged in outstanding and original work related to the study of the human past.
• Show strong potential for future excellence, innovation, and leadership in the field — this is not a lifetime-achievement award.
• Be no more than 15 years past the PhD (for academics) or 15 years after the release of a first major project (for non-academics). Allowance is made for career breaks such as parental or care leave, health-related leave, and career changes.
• If an academic, hold a PhD and have published at least one major piece of work, such as a book or a collection of articles tied to a major project.
• If a non-academic practitioner, have completed at least one major piece of work — a book, major publication, exhibition, documentary film, or public humanities project — and demonstrate ongoing engagement with the study of the past.

Because the 15-year window is generous but real, mid-career people who might assume they are “too established” for an early-career award are often squarely eligible.

How the Nomination Process Works

This is the part that trips people up, so it is worth stating plainly: you do not apply for the Dan David Prize — you get nominated for it. The Prize runs an open nomination process to build a pool of candidates, and the key rules are simple:

• Anyone can nominate. You do not need to be a senior professor or hold a particular title to put someone forward.
• Self-nominations will not be considered. A candidate cannot nominate themselves.
• Renominations from previous years are encouraged. If someone was nominated before and did not win, they can be nominated again.

The nomination form is intentionally light. Nominators are asked to provide the nominee’s CV and a list of relevant work or publications, and to answer a few short questions about why the nominee deserves the Prize. It is not a grant application with a lengthy proposal; it is a focused case for a person.

After nominations close, a dedicated international selection committee — assembled anew each year from experts across historical fields — reviews the pool and compiles a shortlist of finalists. The Prize’s board then ratifies the winners. The selection committee’s membership is made public each year only after the winners are announced, which protects the independence of the process.

Timeline for the 2027 Prize

The 2027 cycle follows a clear sequence:

• Nominations open: now, through the official nomination page.
• Nomination deadline: October 13, 2026.
• Finalists identified: January 2027, by the selection committee.
• Winners ratified: February 2027, by the Prize board.
• Winners announced: summer 2027.

The one hard date that matters for anyone hoping to be considered is October 13, 2026. Everything after that is out of a candidate’s hands.

What a Nomination Should Include

If you are preparing to nominate someone — or hoping to be nominated — the substance the committee wants to see is straightforward but should be assembled carefully:

• The nominee’s CV, current and complete.
• A list of relevant work or publications, highlighting the major book, article collection, exhibition, film, or public project that anchors their record.
• Short answers making the case for why this person’s work is outstanding, original, and likely to shape the field going forward.

Because the form is short, every element carries weight. A crisp, specific account of a nominee’s contribution and trajectory will do more than a long list of minor items.

How to Position Yourself If You Hope to Be Nominated

Since you cannot nominate yourself, the practical question for a strong candidate is how to make a nomination likely and well-supported. A few honest, effective steps:

• Identify potential nominators early. Think about colleagues, mentors, collaborators, or peers who know your work well and could write a compelling short case. Anyone can nominate, so the pool of possible nominators is wide.
• Make your record easy to summarize. Keep an up-to-date CV and a clear list of your major work. If a nominator has to reconstruct your accomplishments, the nomination will be weaker.
• Be clear about your forward trajectory. The Prize rewards future potential, not just past output. Be able to articulate — in a sentence or two your nominator can use — where your work is heading and why it matters to the field.
• Do not disqualify yourself prematurely. The 15-year window and the explicit inclusion of non-academic practitioners mean many people wrongly assume they are ineligible. Curators, public historians, and filmmakers are named categories, not afterthoughts.
• Remember that renomination is encouraged. If you were nominated in a prior year without winning, a fresh nomination this cycle is welcome.

Common Misunderstandings

• “I can apply myself.” No. Self-nominations are explicitly excluded. The action item is to line up a nominator, not to fill out an application.
• “It’s only for historians in university departments.” The Prize covers archaeology, art history, digital humanities, human palaeontology, and public-facing work by curators and documentary filmmakers, among others.
• “It’s a lifetime-achievement prize.” The opposite. It targets early- and mid-career people and weighs future potential heavily.
• “A career break makes me ineligible.” The Prize explicitly makes allowance for parental and care leave, health-related leave, and career changes when applying the 15-year window.
• “I need a detailed research proposal.” The nomination is short — a CV, a work list, and brief answers. There is no lengthy project proposal to write.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the award, and how many are given? Up to nine prizes of $300,000 each are awarded every year.

What can winners use the money for? The award recognizes past contribution and is intended to support winners’ future endeavors; it is a personal award rather than a project-restricted grant.

Can I nominate myself? No. Anyone can nominate someone else, but self-nominations are not considered.

Who is behind the Prize? It is the flagship program of the Dan David Foundation, an independent charitable organization, and is headquartered at Tel Aviv University. The Foundation was endowed in 2000 by the late Dan David.

When will 2027 winners be announced? After the October 13, 2026 nomination deadline, finalists are identified in January 2027, winners are ratified in February 2027, and the winners are announced in summer 2027.

What fields qualify? Any field related to the study of the human past — including history, archaeology, art history, digital humanities, and human palaeontology — plus practitioners such as independent scholars, public historians, museum curators, and documentary filmmakers.

Official Links and Next Steps

Start with the Prize’s own pages for the authoritative details and to submit a nomination:

• Nominate / nomination guidelines: https://dandavidprize.org/nominate/
• About the Prize: https://dandavidprize.org/the-prize/

Your next steps depend on which side of the nomination you are on. If you know an outstanding early- or mid-career scholar or practitioner of the human past, gather their CV and a short account of their work and submit a nomination before October 13, 2026. If you hope to be considered yourself, reach out now to a colleague or mentor who could nominate you, make your record easy for them to summarize, and give them the time to make a strong, specific case.