Bancroft Prize

noun

1. one of a group of annual awards for literary achievement in American history and biography: administered by Columbia University.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bancroft Prize¹

Named after G. Bancroft

Example Sentences

A sweeping history of 19th-century westward expansion and an unflinching study of Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger and the wars in Southeast Asia have won this year’s Bancroft Prize, considered one of the most prestigious honors in the field of American history.

From New York Times

Jane Garrett, who as an editor at the Alfred A. Knopf publishing house guided seven books to Pulitzer Prizes for history but watched another book lose its prestigious Bancroft Prize over scholars’ criticism of the author’s research, died on Oct.

From New York Times

One of the most discussed political biographies of its time and a best seller, the Lippmann biography won the National Book Critics Circle Award for general nonfiction, Columbia University’s Bancroft Prize and The Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History, and was a finalist for the National Book Award and the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for biography.

From New York Times

Gage’s book, published by Viking, was also a winner of this year’s Bancroft Prize, awarded by Columbia University and considered one of the most prestigious honors in the field of American history, as well as a bellwether of trends among academic historians.

From New York Times

A monumental biography of J. Edgar Hoover, a border-crossing history of the Mexican Revolution and a richly contextualized 1790s true-crime story have won this year’s Bancroft Prize, which is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the field of American history.

From New York Times