The Richard P. Scharchburg Award is given for the best university student papers on automotive history written in the previous year. Two awards are given. One for the best graduate paper, and one for the best undergraduate paper.
The award is named for Richard Scharchburg, late Professor of History at Kettering University, eminent automotive historian, and past vice president of the Society of Automotive Historians.
Nominations may be submitted for papers on any aspect of automotive history including, but not limited to social, economic, technical, or regulatory topics. Students can nominate themselves.
The winner in the Graduate category will receive an engraved plaque, a one-year digital membership in the SAH, and a $500 check. Their paper may also be recommended for publication in the Society’s annual Automotive History Review.
The runner-up in the Graduate category will receive an engraved Award of Distinction plaque, a one-year digital membership in the SAH, and a $100 check.
The winner in the Undergraduate category will receive an engraved plaque, a one-year digital membership in the SAH, and a $250 check. The runner-up will receive an engraved Award of Distinction plaque, a one-year digital membership in the SAH, and a $100 check.
There are additional requirements for submission, which you can find below.
All nominations and enquiries should be sent by email to sahawards@autohistory.org. Your email will then be forwarded to the Scharzberg committee chair.
Students must be enrolled as graduates or upper-class undergraduates at the time of submission.
Although the award is international in scope, papers must be in English. Papers already published or scheduled for publication cannot be accepted.
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.
Nominations should include the name of the award, the name of the person and paper being nominated, the name and contact information of the individual making the nomination, and one or two lines outlining the reasons for the nomination.
Nominations should include a cover letter from the student and a manuscript copy of the paper being nominated. Submitted papers must be in electronic form (doc or pdf).
The cover letter should state the student’s name, address, school, program, advisor, and stage in studies. The letter should also say how the paper will relate to the student’s professional future
The manuscript should be double-spaced and not exceed 10,000 words. Photos and other illustrations should be included. An abstract should be provided.
All nominations for the Scharzburg Award must be be received by June 15 of this year. Be sure to apply by the deadline.
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