Nominations for the SAH [Society of Automotive Historians] ANNUAL AWARDS are now open. Each year the SAH offers awards for outstanding contributions in automotive history in a number of categories. If you’ve read a good automotive book, article, or periodical; viewed a film, documentary, or television program that presented auto history in an engaging way; visited an exemplary auto museum or library; or know of someone who has made a profound individual contribution to automotive history community, consider submitting a nomination to the SAH Awards Committee. Winners will be recognized at the annual SAH Awards Banquet in Flint, Michigan on September 19, 2026. Submission requirements as well as additional information can be found here. Nominations for the Cugnot – English & LOE, Benz, Brigham, Bradley, Ingersoll, and Friend of Automotive History close April 15, 2026 so don’t delay!
CARL BENZ AWARD
The Carl Benz Award recognizes excellence in the presentation of automotive history article appearing in a periodical. All commercial, club, and academic periodicals are welcome to be nominated. An author or publisher is welcome nominate his or her own works or works in their respective publication. Members and non-members alike can nominate a work.
The article must have appeared in a publication with an on-sale date within 2025. Multi-part articles need to have at least one installment published with a 2025 on-sale date. Any multi-part article with an installment appearing in a publication with a 2026 on-sale date must wait until next year for nomination but all parts would be eligible at that time.
JAMES J. BRADLEY DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
The James J. Bradley Distinguished Service Award is presented by The Society of Automotive Historians to deserving museums, archives, and libraries for exemplary efforts in preserving motor vehicle resource materials.
RICHARD AND GRACE BRIGHAM AWARD
The Richard and Grace Brigham Award is presented to the commercial, institutional or club automotive history periodical that represents a the most exemplary editorial, graphic or historical content published in the previous calendar year–2025. Periodicals with an online presence are also eligible. Award evaluations are based on issues for the entire calendar year, rather than a single issue. [Nominations for a single article should be directed to the Carl Benz Award Panel, rather than the Brigham Award Panel].
NICOLAS-JOSEPH CUGNOT AWARD, ENGLISH
The Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot Award, English is presented each year for one or more books that best advance the understanding of the history of the automobile in the English language in the previous calendar year – 2025. Consideration will be given to traditional automotive histories – books focused on cars, automakers, individuals and events – as well as social histories of the automobile, which examine the effect of the automobile on society, culture, and everyday life.
NICOLAS-JOSEPH CUGNOT AWARD, LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH
The Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot Award, Non-English is presented each year for one or more books which best advances the understanding of the history of the automobile in a language other than English in the previous calendar year – 2025. Consideration will be given to traditional automotive histories – books focused on cars, automakers, individuals and events – as well as social histories of the automobile which examine the effect of the automobile on society, culture, and everyday life.
FRIEND OF AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY
The prestigious lifetime Friend of Automotive History award recognizes an individual who has made a profound individual contribution to the automotive history community and the historical record.
E.P. INGERSOLL AWARD
The E. P. Ingersoll Award is given for the best presentation of automotive history in media other than print. Film, television, video documentaries, oral histories and sound recordings, podcasts, websites, blogs, social media, cell phone and tablet apps, computer software and art are eligible for consideration. The Award Panel may choose to give two awards in any given year – one for film and television, the other for all other non-print media other than film/television. [Nominations for online periodicals should be directed to the Brigham Award Panel rather than the Ingersoll Award Panel.]
RICHARD P. SCHARCHBURG STUDENT PAPER AWARD
In order to encourage research and writing effort among university students in the area of automotive history, the Society confers its annual award for the best student paper in the auto history field. The award is named for Richard Scharchburg, the late Professor of History at Kettering University, eminent automotive historian, and past vice president of the Society of Automotive Historians. Beginning in 2021, the SAH will offer separate awards for best student paper in both the undergraduate and graduate categories. Persons submitting papers must be enrolled at educational institutions (upper-class undergraduate or graduate level) at the time of submission. This competition is international in scope, but papers must be in the English language. Papers already published or scheduled for publication will not be accepted.
Manuscripts should not exceed 10,000 words, and should be double-spaced. An abstract is requested. Judging criteria include clear statement of purpose and testable hypothesis, accuracy and thoroughness of research, originality of the research, documentation, quality and extent of bibliographic resources, and writing style. Diagrams, graphs, or photographs may be included. Submissions are to be electronic, in Word or pdf files only.
Possible subjects include but are not limited to historical aspects of automobile companies and their leaders, regulation of the auto industry, financial and economic aspects of the industry, the social effects of the automobile, highway development, environmental matters, and automotive marketing, design, engineering and safety.
A cover letter should be included stating the student’s address, school, program, advisor, and stage in studies. The student should indicate how the paper submitted will relate to his or her professional future. Submissions must be e-mail dated by June 10, 2026. All papers submitted will be acknowledged. If unable to submit digitally, contact the chair for further instructions.
Upon recommendation of the judges, the winning paper will be considered for publication in the Society’s Automotive History Review. The award consists of a plaque and a cash prize of $500.00.