The Emerson Prize is an annual history research competition administered by The Concord Review, recognizing exceptional original scholarship written by high school students from around the world. This guide explains how the Emerson Prize fits within The Concord Review’s publication process, breaks down the selection and award structure, and offers concrete winning tips.
- What Is the Emerson Prize?
- What Do Emerson Prize Winners Receive?
- How to Qualify for the Emerson Prize
- How to Submit to the Emerson Prize
- How to Win the Emerson Prize
- Emerson Prize Previous Winners
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Takeaways
What Is the Emerson Prize?
Named after the famous American thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Emerson Prize recognizes outstanding historical research essays and has been running annually since 1995. The prize is a prestigious history essay award for high school students, presented by The Concord Review, the only academic journal that publishes high school research papers in history.
Over 200 students have earned the Emerson Prize to date, and it continues to be one of the most esteemed accolades a young historian can achieve. William R. Fitzsimmons, Harvard’s dean of admissions, even likened having a paper in The Concord Review to “winning a national math competition” in terms of how impressive it is to colleges.
The Emerson Prize is awarded as part of The Concord Review’s publication cycle. Submissions are accepted online from students worldwide, and there are four key deadlines each year, aligning with the journal’s quarterly issues: November 1, February 1, May 1, and August 1. Winners of each cycle are typically announced after the final issue of the volume is published, with the prize being awarded to the top papers from the previous academic year’s volume.
For the current 2025–2026 iteration, upcoming deadlines include February 1, 2026 (for the Summer 2026 issue) and May 1, 2026 (for the Fall 2026 issue), so aspiring entrants should plan their submissions accordingly.
Fitzhugh Prize
Each year, The Concord Review awards the Fitzhugh Prize to the top submission published in the journal. Named after founder William Fitzhugh, this honor recognizes the finest work among all papers selected that year. Established in 2021, the Fitzhugh Prize represents the highest distinction a student can receive from The Concord Review.
What Do Emerson Prize Winners Receive?
Winners gain national recognition for their scholarly writing. Their papers are published in The Concord Review, putting them in the elite 5% of submissions that make it to print. Publication alone is a huge honor; it signals that a student’s work is among the best high school history research worldwide.
Beyond publication, winners also receive cash awards. Emerson Prize recipients (typically, 8–10) each receive $1,000, while the Fitzhugh Prize winner receives $5,000.
Winners are announced on The Concord Review’s website and often in school press releases, and their names join a roster of accomplished young historians. Many Emerson Prize honorees go on to attend top universities (recent winners have headed to institutions like Stanford, Brown, and Harvard).
How to Qualify for the Emerson Prize
Students qualify for the Emerson Prize by getting their work published in The Concord Review. Here are the key requirements:
Eligibility
To compete for the Emerson Prize, students must meet clear eligibility standards:
- High school eligibility. Applicants must be high school students who completed their history research paper during their secondary school years.
- Global participation. There are no restrictions on nationality or school type. Students from anywhere in the world may apply, whether they attend public schools, private schools, or are educated through other recognized secondary programs.
- Original research requirement. Submissions must be the student’s own, original history research written while in high school.
- Sole authorship. Students must be the sole author of their paper. Co-authored papers or work substantially written or edited by others are not permitted.
- Academic integrity. Plagiarism is treated with zero tolerance. If a submission is found to be unoriginal, The Concord Review will disqualify the entry and notify the student’s school. Proper citation of all sources is required, and the responsibility for ethical scholarship rests entirely with the student.
Submission guidelines
Submission requirements center on a single, well-crafted research paper that meets The Concord Review’s scholarly standards:
- Research paper submission. The sole required document is an original history research paper. There is no separate prompt—students may write on any historical topic, ancient or modern, domestic or international, as long as the work demonstrates rigorous research and original analysis.
- Length and academic format. Competitive submissions typically fall in the 5,000–10,000+ word range, with most published papers averaging around 8,000 words. All papers must use Turabian/Chicago-style endnotes and include a full bibliography at the end. Shorter papers, particularly those under 4,000 words, are generally less competitive.
- Originality requirements. Submissions must be written in English and represent original, unpublished research completed during high school. Limited prior circulation (such as a school publication) may be acceptable, but the work should not have appeared in a national or professional journal.
- File and formatting guidelines. Students submit a single electronic file following The Concord Review’s formatting rules, which typically require a standard font, text-only submission (no images, charts, or graphics), and the exclusive use of endnotes rather than footnotes or in-text citations.
To learn more about The Concord Review’s submission guidelines, check out our comprehensive guide.
Submission fees
Currently, the standard submission fee is $70 USD. This fee also doubles as a one-year subscription to The Concord Review’s electronic edition, meaning you will receive the next four e-issues of the journal (so you can read other published papers and perhaps see your own in print).
Students have the option to upgrade to a print subscription for a higher fee—for example, about $110 for U.S. print delivery (which includes the $70 submission plus print costs). International print options are around $150.
Submission deadline
The Concord Review operates on rolling admissions for submissions. That means you can submit your history paper at any time. However, to be considered for specific upcoming issues (and thus get published sooner), you should target the seasonal deadlines:
- August 1 for consideration in the Winter issue (published in December)
- November 1 for the Spring issue (published in March)
- February 1 for the Summer issue (published in June)
- May 1 for the Fall issue (published in September)
These quarterly cut-offs correspond to the next four issues for which your essay will be eligible. For example, if you submit by the November 1, 2025 deadline, your paper could appear in the Spring 2026 issue (or in one of the next few issues after, if not chosen immediately).
In fact, every submitted essay is kept in consideration for at least four issues (about a full year) after submission. So even if you miss one cycle, your work might be selected for a subsequent issue without needing to re-submit.
How to Submit to the Emerson Prize
Submitting to the Emerson Prize means getting published first in The Concord Review. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Write an outstanding history research paper.
The process begins with writing a strong history research paper. You can choose any historical topic as long as it is focused, well-researched, and original. Successful papers are built around a clear thesis, deep research using primary and secondary sources, and careful Chicago/Turabian endnotes. Most students spend months drafting and revising before submission.
Step 2: Prepare and submit your work.
Once your paper is polished, format it according to The Concord Review’s guidelines and submit it through their online system. You’ll upload a single electronic file, complete basic author information, and pay the submission fee. After submission, you’ll receive confirmation that your paper is officially under review.
Step 3: Editorial review.
Your essay then enters The Concord Review’s editorial review process, where it is evaluated for research depth, originality, analytical strength, and clarity. Because the journal reviews on a rolling basis, your paper may be considered for up to four quarterly issues. Not hearing back immediately does not mean rejection.
Step 4: Prepare for publication.
If accepted, your paper will be copyedited and published in an upcoming issue of The Concord Review. Publication alone is a major academic achievement and signals college-level research ability.
Step 5: Emerson Prize selection.
All published papers are automatically considered for the Emerson Prize. After a full volume of issues is completed, the editorial team selects the most outstanding essays for the award. No separate application is required; publication is the only requirement.
How to Win the Emerson Prize
What does it take to win the Emerson Prize? While there’s no magic formula, there are several winning tips that can greatly improve your chances of standing out. These tips are drawn from the qualities of past winning essays and advice from the competition’s organizers:
Tip 1: Choose a unique topic you’re passionate about.
Winning papers often start with a unique research question. Rather than rehashing well-trodden topics (e.g. a generic overview of World War II), Emerson Prize essays frequently zero in on less obvious angles or under-explored events.
For example, one recent Emerson Prize–winning paper examined the role of the Bengal Famine during the American Revolutionary era—a creative intersection of colonial American and Indian history. Others have explored subjects like Broadway’s Golden Age in U.S. cultural history or the integration of baseball as a social history study.
Choose a topic that genuinely fascinates you, because your interest will drive you to dig deeper and write with enthusiasm. If you’re excited about medieval trade routes, a local historical figure, or a niche policy from decades ago, go for it.
Tip 2: Highlight original analysis and insights.
As The Concord Review emphasizes, readers should learn something new from your work. To win, your paper should analyze, interpret, and advance an original argument. That means presenting a clear thesis and showing, throughout the essay, how your interpretation adds something fresh to the historical conversation.
For example, instead of writing broadly about the Industrial Revolution, a descriptive paper might explain how factories changed labor. An original, analytical thesis could argue that early factory discipline reshaped concepts of time and personal autonomy more profoundly than wages or working conditions, using factory rules, worker diaries, and court cases as evidence.
Similarly, rather than summarizing the American Revolution, a strong thesis might claim that local committee governments functioned as de facto states before independence was declared, challenging the idea that political authority emerged only after 1776. Or, when writing about Napoleon Bonaparte, instead of debating whether he was a hero or tyrant, you might argue that Napoleon’s administrative reforms outlasted his military legacy and shaped modern European governance more deeply than his conquests.
What matters is making clear what is new about your take. A strong introduction should explicitly state your thesis and explain how your paper contributes to understanding the topic. As you conclude, reinforce why your findings matter—how they shift perspective, complicate a familiar narrative, or uncover an overlooked story.
If your reader finishes thinking, “I never considered that before,” you’ve likely hit the originality mark. Creativity in historical analysis, grounded firmly in evidence, is what distinguishes many Emerson Prize–level essays.
Tip 3: Conduct extensive research and use credible sources.
There’s no way around it: standout essays are built on deep research. Start early and gather a wide range of credible sources: books, scholarly articles, primary documents, and interviews when relevant. Build a substantial bibliography, but more importantly, actively engage with those sources in your analysis.
Use primary sources—letters, diaries, newspapers, government records—to add authenticity, and include historiography to show awareness of differing interpretations. A strong bibliography and detailed endnotes signal serious scholarly effort.
Tip 4: Craft a clear, cohesive narrative.
Winning essays pair strong analysis with engaging writing. Start with a clear thesis and ensure every section supports it logically. Use strong topic sentences and transitions so the paper reads as a cohesive argument, not a collection of facts. Even in academic writing, narrative techniques help: open with a compelling detail, build clear cause-and-effect, and keep momentum.
Judges value complex ideas explained clearly. Avoid dense or overly technical language; aim for precision and accessibility, and provide enough context for an informed but non-specialist reader. Reading your paper aloud—or having someone else read it—can reveal gaps in clarity or flow. A polished, compelling narrative helps strong ideas land and makes your essay memorable.
Tip 5: Pay attention to detail (citations, style, and formatting).
In a competitive field, details matter. Make sure every non-common fact is cited, and follow Turabian/Chicago style precisely for endnotes and bibliography. Clean, consistent formatting signals professionalism and seriousness as a scholar.
Follow all Concord Review guidelines exactly: use a single font, exclude images or charts, submit in Word format, and check margins and layout. Before submitting, proofread carefully. Top entries are nearly error-free.
Tip 6: Revise.
Nearly every winning essay is the result of extensive revision. Don’t hesitate to rewrite for clarity and depth, and seek feedback from a history teacher, mentor, or even peers who can flag gaps or confusing sections. Writing is rewriting; the first draft is rarely prize-ready. If your essay isn’t accepted in the first cycle, continued research and careful revision may strengthen it for later consideration.
Tip 7: Read previous winning entries.
Reading past winning or published essays—available through your journal access—can help you gauge the expected level of rigor and inspire your own work.
Emerson Prize Previous Winners
The Fitzhugh Prize ($5,000) for Summer 2025 was awarded to Rohan Agrawal, a member of the Phillips Academy Andover (Massachusetts) Class of 2026, for his outstanding essay “Bengal Famine in the American Revolution.”
Meanwhile, here are the most recent Emerson Prize winners ($1,000 each):
| Name | Paper Title | School |
| Rahul Madgavkar | “Monitorial System” | Montclair Kimberley Academy |
| Renee Chen | “Broadway’s Golden Age” | Taipei Fuhsing Private School |
| Andrea Xu | “Anson Burlingame” | St. Mark’s School |
| Steven Chen | “Bank Panic of 1907” | Phillips Exeter Academy |
| Eden Riebling | “New York City School Crisis” | Horace Mann School |
| Gene Yoon | “Korean Picture Brides” | Columbus High School |
| Holden Demain | “Dutch Disease in the South” | Denver Jewish Day School |
| Hugo Richards | “John Harrison” | Walter Payton College Preparatory High School |
| Amelia Tan | “African Americans and Golf” | University of Chicago Laboratory Schools |
| Seok Hoon Lee | “Dmitri Shostakovich” | Plainview–Old Bethpage JFK High School |
These winners went on to attend top universities such as Stanford University, Brown University, Amherst College, New York University Stern School of Business, Duke University, and Harvard University.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How prestigious is the Emerson Prize?
The Emerson Prize is highly prestigious and challenging. It rewards sustained, college-level historical research, original argumentation, and polished academic writing. Papers are evaluated through The Concord Review, which publishes only about 5% or fewer of submissions, making publication itself a major academic distinction.
2. Is joining the Emerson Prize free?
No, joining or entering the Emerson Prize is not free on its own. To be considered for the prize, you must first submit a history research paper to The Concord Review, and that submission requires a fee as part of the journal subscription process (typically around $70–$150 depending on format and delivery options) before your paper is eligible for review and, if accepted, automatic consideration for the Emerson Prize.
4. When is the 2026 Emerson Prize?
Submissions to The Concord Review are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, and Emerson Prizes are awarded annually to outstanding papers selected for publication.
Takeaways
- Winning the Emerson Prize reflects exceptional historical thinking, including the ability to pose an original research question, evaluate primary and secondary sources, and sustain a nuanced argument over a long-form, publication-level paper.
- Entrants must engage deeply with evidence, situate their argument within existing scholarship, and write with clarity and precision using professional citation standards. As a result, the Emerson Prize is widely regarded as one of the most demanding humanities research competitions available to high school students.
- The Emerson Prize is awarded annually by The Concord Review to a select group of students whose papers are chosen for publication.
- Being an Emerson Prize recipient—or even being published in The Concord Review—signals advanced academic readiness, discipline, and originality.
- Want to strengthen your Emerson Prize entry? Our Writing Competitions Program helps students develop publication-ready research papers. From refining your thesis and analysis to polishing academic writing, our experts guide you through every stage of the process.
