The Michael Dockrill International History Thesis Prize

The BIHG International History Thesis Prize was established in 1996. It is awarded annually to the best doctoral thesis on any aspect and any period of International History, which has been awarded a degree by a British University or a British University College or College of Higher Education during the calendar year.

In 2018 the BIHG were saddened by the death of Michael Dockrill, a former Chair of the group and one of the country’s foremost international historians As an gesture of recognition, the committee decided to rename the BIHG thesis prize as ‘The Michael Dockrill Prize’. It was felt this was particularly appropriate given the prodigious number of PhD theses Michael Dockrill either supervised or examined over his career.

The thesis is judged by a Panel drawn from members of the BIHG Committee. In judging the competition the Panel pay particular attention to originality of approach, thoroughness of research, style of writing and presentation, and contribution to historical scholarship.

Previous winners include:

• Dr Eline van Ommen, 'Sandinistas Go Global: Nicaragua and Western Europe, 1977-1990' (London School of Economics)
• Dr Mathias Haeussler, ‘Helmut Schmidt and Anglo-German Relations, 1974-1982’ (University of Cambridge)
• Dr Quincy R Cloet, 'Truth Seekers or Power Brokers? The League of Nations and its Commissions of Inquiry,' (Aberystwyth University)
• Dr Abhijit Sarkar 'Beyond Famines: Wartime State, Society, and the Politicization of Food in Colonial India, 1939-1945' (University of Oxford).

Make a nomination

The deadline for submissions for the Michael Dockrill Thesis Prize is Friday 28 July 2023. Individuals wishing to be considered for the prize should email a pdf copy of their thesis to Dr Martin Folly and Professor Gaynor Johnson.  For very large files, it might be necessary to use a file transfer service such as WeTransfer. 

Criteria

• The thesis prize is awarded annually
• Only theses awarded a doctoral degree by a United Kingdom University or University College or College of Higher Education are eligible for consideration
• The thesis can be on any aspect and period of International History
• The competition will be judged by a panel drawn from members and officers of the BIHG committee
• The prize is open to those whose thesis was awarded in calendar year 2022
• The final submission date is normally the end of May of the year following the award of the doctoral degree
• The doctoral degree must be awarded during the calendar year preceding the award of the prize. Candidates should include a copy of the correspondence from their university or college which confirms the award of the degree.