2026 NJHC Awards Nomination Form

The Richard J. Hughes Award recognizes outstanding lifetime achievement in the field of New Jersey history. It is given annually to an individual in recognition of a series of contributions in the areas of scholarship, public history, conservation and preservation, and teaching.

The Alfred E. Driscoll Prize is an award of $1,000 given every other year to the author of an outstanding doctoral dissertation in New Jersey history. Eligible dissertations must be completed within the last two calendar years. Unsuccessful applicants may resubmit their dissertation in subsequent years. Dissertations that have already been accepted for publication are eligible, and their presses may apply for publication assistance.

The Mildred Barry Garvin Prize is given every year to a K–12 New Jersey teacher, guidance counselor, or school librarian for outstanding teaching of African American history, or for outstanding performance in a related activity (i.e., curriculum development). The award carries a prize of $1,000. The review committee engaged to evaluate the nominations may recommend up to two recipients. If two recipients are recommended the prize money will be equally divided.

The Award of Recognition are given every year to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to New Jersey history in the following categories:

- For multiple contributions made over time;
- For those who have had a positive impact on the ways in which audiences and/or communities are engaged in history;
- For scholarship, public service, conservation and preservation efforts, special events, and teaching; and
- For helping to increase public awareness.

Note that Awards of Recognition are not given for the publication of a single book, and are typically not given to individuals posthumously.

To be eligible for the Richard J. Hughes Award, Mildred Barry Garvin Prize, Awards of Recognition, and Alfred E. Driscoll Prize complete the nomination form. There are different requirements for each award so please follow the instructions on the form and see the Summary of Nomination Requirements chart.

Nomination Requirments

Nominations for the Richard J. Hughes Award, Mildred Barry Garvin Prize and Awards of Recognition must include a statement (maximum 500 words) explaining why the nominee deserves the award and a curriculum vitae (under three pages). Mildred Barry Garvin Prize nominations must also include at least one sample curriculum unit or lesson plan. All self-nominations must list two references on the form, letters are not required.

Nominees for the Alfred E. Driscoll Prize must accompany their nomination forms with a digital copy of their dissertation emailed to niquole.primiani@sos.nj.gov.

Award or Prize Select One Only Only. Only one nomination for one person or organization for an award or prize will be accepted.*

Richard J. Hughes AwardAward of RecognitionMildred Barry Garvin PrizeAlfred E. Driscoll Prize

Please note that all nominations require supporting documents and incomplete nominations will not be accpected. Refer to the chart below for the required documentation that must be submitted with each nomination.

Award/Prize	Self-Nomination	Statement 500 words	Individual CV/Organization Program Activities	Curriculum Materials
Hughes	Yes, with 2 references	Yes	Yes	No
Driscoll	Yes, with 2 references	Yes	No	No
Garvin	Yes, with 2 references	Yes	Yes	Yes
Award of Recognition (Individual)	Yes, with 2 references	Yes	Yes	No
Award of Recognition (Organization)	Yes, with 2 references	Yes	Yes	No

Nominee Name (Name of the person or organization you are nominating.)*

First NameLast Name

Nominee Title (Title of the person being nominated.)

Nominee Email Address*

example@example.com

Nominee Mailing Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

Is this a self-nomination? (Self-nomination requires 2 references.(FOR HUGHES, AWARD OF RECOGNITION, GARVIN and DRISCOLL PRIZE.)

YesNo

Reference #1

First NameLast Name

Title (if applicable)

Professional Affiliation

Email

example@example.com

Phone Number

Please enter a valid phone number.

Reference #2

First NameLast Name

Title (if applicable)

Professional Affiliation

Email

example@example.com

Phone Number

Please enter a valid phone number.

FOR HUGHES, AWARD OF RECOGNITION & GARVIN PRIZE (Not required for Driscoll.) Why does the nominee deserve this award or prize? (500 words maximum)

0/500

FOR HUGHES, AWARD OF RECOGNITION, GARVIN PRIZE Nominee's Curriculum Vitae (3 pages maximum) If you are nominating an organization for an Award of Recognition upload a document describing the program activities.

FOR GARVIN PRIZE ONLY Curriculum Materials

FOR DRISCOLL PRIZE ONLY - Email a copy of the dissertation to niquole.primiani@sos.nj.gov

REQUIRED FOR ALL NOMINATIONS Nominator Name (name of the person nominating)*

First NameLast Name

Nominator Email Address*

example@example.com

Nominator Title (if applicable)*

Nominator Professional Affiliation*

New Jersey Historical Commission Awards Program

Guidelines

Nomination Form

Required Documents

Description

Required Supporting Documents

For All Nominations