The Michigan Historical Review (MHR) is still accepting submissions for its 2025 Graduate Student Essay Contest. The MHR is the only scholarly history journal in the state, and we publish twice a year. The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and publication in the Spring 2026 issue.

Today more than ever, those who seek college-level positions need to build a curriculum vitae that includes at least a measure of scholarly publication. This is a wonderful opportunity for an aspiring historian to begin publishing.

Entries must be graduate-level papers that involve the history of Michigan in some manner and must include original research from primary sources. Papers should be a recommended 10,000-15,000 words, footnoted, double-spaced, without the writer’s name on any pages. A cover letter including the school program and supervisor’s name must be included with the essay. Students should be based in the United States or Canada. Submissions should be e-mailed to [email protected] no later than July 1, 2025. Members of our editorial board read the essays and provide each with a critique to assist in reshaping the essay into a more publishable form. In the case of entries that do not win, but show promise of being publishable after revision, we urge student authors to revise and resubmit for an additional double-blind reading.