蜜桃传媒

Starr Center supported prize enters its 20th year.

Five books published in 2024 by nationally acclaimed historians have been named finalists for the prestigious 2025 This annual award honors the year鈥檚 most outstanding works on America鈥檚 founding era, particularly those that deepen public understanding of early American history. 

Created by 蜜桃传媒, George Washington鈥檚 Mount Vernon, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the $50,000 George Washington Prize is one of the nation鈥檚 largest and most notable literary awards. 

The 2025 George Washington Prize finalists are (in alphabetical order): 

• , (Oxford University Press, 2024) 

• , (Harvard University Press, 2024) 

• , (Yale University Press, 2024) 

• , (Oxford University Press, 2024) 

• , (University Press of Kansas, 2024) 

鈥淚n the two decades since the first George Washington Prize was conferred in 2005, the award has honored an extraordinary range of works that shed new light on previously neglected histories. The 2025 roster of nominees shows that we are still experiencing a golden age of original scholarship on our nation鈥檚 founding era,鈥� said Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.  

, Executive Director of the , said, 鈥淭he finalists are the best of rigorous and thoughtful history, written with delightful prose, compelling storytelling, and an eye to why history matters today. These books give us a better understanding of the founding era and our current moment, as only the best history can do."  

, President and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, said, 鈥淭hese insightful and thought-provoking works highlight the complexities of America鈥檚 founding and the struggles of its key figures. From John Dickinson鈥檚 foundational role in the Revolution to Thomas Jefferson鈥檚 contradictory stance on slavery, each book offers a fresh, nuanced perspective on the moral, political, and social challenges that shaped the early republic.鈥� 

Each year since the Prize was created in 2005, an independent jury has evaluated 50 to 100 books published in the previous year that explore the history of the American founding era. The five books named finalists for the 2025 Prize are outstanding examples of robust and thought-provoking explorations of America鈥檚 unique history.  

The finalists . The authors will be available for book signings immediately following the conversation. 

The George Washington Prize winner will be announced at a gala dinner in New York City on October 8, 2025.