The Organization of American Historians sponsors a biennial award (formerly the Foreign Language Article Prize through 1998) for the best article on American history published in a foreign language. The winning article will be published in the Journal of American History. David Thelen was editor of the Journal of American History 1985-1999.

Entries must have been published during the preceding two calendar years. To be eligible, an article should be concerned with the past (recent or distant) or with issues of continuity and change. It should also be concerned with events or processes that began, developed, or ended in what is now the United States. It should make a significant and original contribution to the understanding of U.S. history. We welcome comparative and international studies that fall within these guidelines.

The Organization of American Historians invites authors of eligible articles to nominate their work. We urge scholars who know of eligible publications written by others to inform those authors of this award. Under unusual circumstances unpublished manuscripts will be considered. We ask authors to consult with the committee chair before submitting unpublished material. Since the purpose of the award is to expose Americanists to scholarship originally published in a language other than English—to overcome the language barrier that keeps scholars apart—this award is not open to articles whose manuscripts were originally submitted for publication in English or by people for whom English is their first language. Please write a one- to two-page essay (in English) explaining why the article is a significant and original contribution to our understanding of American history. The essay and five copies of the article, clearly labeled "2008 David Thelen Award Entry," must be mailed to the following address and received by May 1, 2007:

Edward T. Linenthal, Editor, Journal of American History

(Committee Chair)

David Thelen Award Committee

1215 East Atwater Avenue

Bloomington, IN 47401

The application should also include the following information: name, mailing address, institutional affiliation, fax number, email address (if available), and language of submitted article. Copies of the article and application will be reviewed by contributing editors of the Journal of American History who are proficient in the language of the submission, as well as by referees (proficient in the language of the submitted article) who are experts on its subject matter. The final prize decision will be made by the David Thelen Award Committee by February 1, 2008. The winner will be notified by the OAH and furnished with details of the annual meeting and the awards presentation. In addition, the winning article will be printed in the Journal of American History and its author awarded a $500 subvention for refining the article's English translation.

David Thelen Award Committee Members

Edward T. Linenthal, Editor, Journal of American History (Committee Chair)

Kate Delaney, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Udo Hebel, Universität Regensburg

Rob Kroes, Amerika Instituut

Leila J. Rupp, University of California, Santa Barbara

Axel R. Schäfer, Keele University