R. Douglas Hurt Research Award

The MHA is proud to announce the inaugural R. Douglas Hurt Research Award ($1,000) for historians working on archival research for publications, presentations, and/or public history projects. Applicants must have a PhD, be working in the field of history (faculty, community college, libraries, public history), and be current MHA members. Proposals will be assessed on the importance of archival materials to the stated aims of the project and the potential for the work to make meaningful contributions to the field of midwestern history. 

Applicants should submit:

• Name, contact information and the title of the project

• A brief c.v. (5 page maximum)

• A proposal of no more than 1,000 words using these subheadings: 1. Description of project 2. Significance of scholarship on the history of the Midwest 3. Archival needs 4. Work plan 5. Proposed budget, including separate line items for transportation, lodging, meals, anticipated miscellaneous expenses (i.e.: access/entry fees, copying costs, other)

• Materials should be submitted as a single PDF to committee chairperson Dr. Greg Rose: rose.9@osu.edu by Jan. 15, 2026 

Endowed by R. Douglas Hurt, Professor Emeritus at Purdue University, this award acknowledges the vital role archival research plays in the historical profession, and the challenges faced by faculty and historians working without consistent financial support from their institutions. Hurt is the author of more than a dozen books focusing on agriculture in the Midwest, Great Plains, and South. He is the former editor of journals including Ohio History and Agricultural History, has won both the Jon Gjerde Prize and the Frederick Jackson Turner Lifetime Achievement Award from the MHA, and is a fellow of the Agricultural History Society.