Prizes and Awards

The Naval Historical Foundation is proud to recognize outstanding work in the field of history. 

Click below to read more about each of our major prizes and awards:

• Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award
• United States Naval Academy Superintendent’s Leadership and Vision Award
• Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr. Naval History Award
• Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn NROTC Prizes
• Captain Kenneth Coskey National History Day Prize
• National History Day Teachers of Distinction Awards

Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award

The Commodore Dudley W. Knox Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual for a lifetime body of work in the field of U.S. naval history. The award is named for Commodore Dudley Wright Knox (21 June 1877 – 11 June 1960). A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval War College, Knox had a distinguished career as a naval officer with service in the Spanish American War, Boxer Rebellion, Great White Fleet, and World War I. But it was his abilities as a historian, librarian, and archivist that earned him respect and admiration amongst his peers and later generations.

Learn more about the Knox Award or submit a nomination.

Previous Knox Achievement Award Recipients: 

• 2013 James C. Bradford, William N. Still, Jr., Philip K. Lundeberg
• 2014 John Hattendorf, Craig L. Symonds, William S. Dudley, Harold D. Langley.
• 2015 Dean C. Allard, Thomas J. Cutler, Kenneth J. Hagan
• 2016 Christopher McKee
• 2017 Jon Sumida, Paul Stillwell, Edward Marolda
• 2019 Tyrone G. Martin, Norman Polmar, David Curtis Skaggs, Jr.

United States Naval Academy Superintendent’s Leadership and Vision Award

Learn more about the Superintendent’s Award.

Previous Superintendent’s Leadership and Vision Award Recipients: 

·      2018  MIDN William Moore

·      2019  MIDN Anthony Perry

·      2020 MIDN Joseph Bunyard

·      2021  MIDN Jennifer Sun

Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr. Naval History Award

This prize is given to the U.S. Naval Academy midshipman who has demonstrated exceptional naval history scholarship during an academic year. Judging is conducted by Naval Academy history department faculty. Beginning in 2003, the Prize was named for recently deceased World War II submariner, noted author and long-time Naval Historical Foundation Board member Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr.

Previous Beach Award Recipients: 

Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn NROTC Prizes

The Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn Prizes recognize and reward midshipmen who show future promise as naval officers and encourage all midshipmen to value their history and heritage as part of their ethos. The prizes are named for Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn, USN, who retired in 2012 following fourteen years of service as President of the NHF. With former duties that included the Chief of Naval Reserve and the DCNO for Naval Aviation, VADM Dunn has a reputation in the Navy’s intellectual community as a thoughtful writer in publications such as the Naval Institute Proceedings. He currently is a Ramsey Fellow with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Learn more about the Dunn Prizes.

Previous Dunn Prize Recipients: 

Captain Kenneth Coskey National History Day Prize

At the annual National History Day festivities that occur every June at the University of Maryland, special prizes are awarded to high school and middle school history projects that best capture an appreciation for naval history. Two such prizes are awarded, one each in the Junior and Senior Divisions, for $1000 each. Judging is conducted by the organizers of National History Day.

 The prize is named for the late Captain Ken Coskey, a Vietnam War combat aviator and Prisoner of War, and former Executive Director of the Naval Historical Foundation.

Previous Award Recipients:  

National History Day Teachers of Distinction Awards

2021 NHD Teachers of Distinction Award Press Release:

For the fourth consecutive year, the Naval Historical Foundation (NHF) will once again present “Teacher of Distinction” awards to teachers whose students are recognized for outstanding projects at the annual National History Day (NHD) competition for middle and high school students nationwide.  

Inaugurated in 2018, these awards go to teachers whose students (i) receive NHF’s annual Coskey Prizes for Naval History, (ii) rank first, second, or third nationally in their respective categories for projects with a naval or maritime theme.

Over half a million middle and high school students take part annually in NHD all over the United States.  In years past, some 3,000 finalists of those students and several hundred teachers have descended on the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, in mid-June for the final rounds of the national competition.  Like last year, however, the competition this year will again be conducted in a virtual format due to the coronavirus pandemic.  The virtual national contest will take place June 13-19.    

NHD has a broad theme for the contest every year.  This year’s theme is, “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.”  Student projects are expected to be consistent with the NHD theme.

There are five project categories: papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites, and performances.  Competition begins at individual schools in the fall, with the top middle and high school winners advancing to regional, state, and national competitions.  Some 600,000 students from the United States, District of Columbia, territories, and international schools in China, Korea, South Asia, and Central America participate annually.

              The NHF awards consist of $200 honorariums, NHF certificates of achievement, one-year NHF memberships, and access to NHF Navy-related research assistance. 

              The Coskey Prizes are named after the late Captain Ken Coskey, a Navy pilot, Vietnam prisoner of war, and former NHF executive director.  The prizes were established in 1999.  Every year since then NHF has awarded two Coskey Prizes to superior NHD projects in naval history.  Each prize is a $1,000 student award. 

In the three prior years since the Teacher of Distinction awards were initiated, NHF has recognized 43 teachers from 27 states and one territory, Guam. 

“It’s wonderful to see such widespread interest in naval and maritime history by teachers and students alike,” said Admiral William Fallon, USN (Ret.), NHF chairman.  “While the students receive the NHD awards – as they should – we’re pleased to recognize the teachers who inspire the students to produce such outstanding naval and maritime projects.”  

Education of the generation to follow is one of NHF’s key missions.  

Previous Teachers of Distinction

STEM Teacher Fellowships

Starting in the summer of 2011, the Naval Historical Foundation began offering competitive STEM Teacher Fellowships to educators from across the country. Please visit our STEM Teacher Fellowships page to learn more.