The John L. Snell Memorial Prize is named for Professor John L. Snell (1923-1972), a distinguished scholar, diplomatic historian, and a founder of the European History Section. A bomber pilot during World War II, he taught at Tulane University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his Ph.D. in 1950.
The Snell Prize is given annually to the graduate student who submits the best seminar research paper in European history written within the past year. “European” encompasses the entire continent, including Russia, from pre-history to the present.
The Prize winner will be honored at the annual lunch meeting of the Section in conjunction with the Southern Historical Association meeting in St. Pete Beach, Florida, in November 2025. The award carries a stipend of $250. The Snell Award winner also receives one complimentary year of student membership in the European History Section of the Southern Historical Association. The Committee occasionally gives an Honourable Mention to a second or third outstanding submission.
The competition is open to graduate students of any Section member or a program at a Southern college or university.
All papers must meet the following criteria:
1. Students may submit only one paper.
2. Only papers written during the academic year immediately preceding the granting of the award, including Summer 2025, are acceptable.
3. The paper’s content must focus on European history (“European” encompasses the entire continent, including Russia, from pre-history to the present).
4. A letter of endorsement from the supervising faculty member or adviser must accompany the submission. The letter should confirm that the paper was written during the academic year immediately preceding the granting of the award, including Summer 2025.
5. The competition is open only to seminar papers, which shall not exceed 50 pages, including footnotes or endnotes (the bibliography does not count toward this limit).
6. Seminar papers may be related to prospective theses or dissertations, but they may not be edited-down versions of completed theses or dissertations.
7. Manuscripts must be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced with 1-inch margins on all sides, and include a bibliography and the customary documentation.