History Prize Competitions
THE WILLIAMS/LEE STEERE HISTORY PRIZE 2020
Commencing this year the biennial Lee Steere and Williams essay prizes have been combined to form an annual publication prize for the best new book on WA history. The Lee Steere Prize was inaugurated in 1948 by a grant from pastoralist and philanthropist Sir Ernest Lee Steere’ later supplemented by his son, also Sir Ernest. The Williams Prize honours the memory of historian A.W. (Bert) Williams, chairman of the Society 1963-67 and president 1976-78, and funded by Bert and his family.
Covering a broad range
The publication can cover any aspect of Western Australian history, preferably based on primary sources. It must have been published within the preceding twelve months.
1. Entries should be in book format, minimum 20,000 words, supported by maps and illustrations as you consider
valuable.
2. Please include an entry form and note all publications will be retained by the Society.
3. Publications submitted as entries must be with the Executive Officer, RWAHS, Stirling House,
49 Broadway, Nedlands 6009, by 4 pm on the last Friday in June.
4. The judges’ decision is final. They reserve the right to make no award.
5. The result will be finalised in time to be announced at the Society’s Annual General Meeting on the evening of the
third Wednesday in September.
6. Publicity will follow in October.
The Prize
$1000
Entry procedure
If you wish to enter the competition please read the Conditions and complete the Entry form which is the cover sheet for your paper.
A E Williams Western Australian History Prize 2019 Prize Winner
The Society congratulates Dr Howard Gray, winner of the Williams/ Lee Steere Publications Prize for 2019
Howard Gray, Jambinbirri - Champion Bay: Geraldton Western Australia: a pictorial and narrative history, Westralian Books, Geraldton, 2018.
Three other histories were highly commended:
Mary Elgar, A Mere Country Village – an excellent account of the history of Bridgetown enlivened by oral histories.
Rod Moncrieff, Dingbat Flat – a riveting account of the 1934 race riots in Kalgoorlie which one of our judges said could be called the pre-history of multi-culturalism in WA
John Renner and Sybe Jongling, Not only Knowledge: The making of a College of Advanced Education – a well rounded history of a short lived West Australian institution.
