WASHINGTON, DC – The Grateful American Book Prize is accepting submissions for its 2018 awards.

Author and publisher David Bruce Smith is co-founder, along with the late Dr. Bruce Cole, a former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, who suggested the establishment of the Prize. The aim was to encourage authors and publishers to produce “good, readable books about American history that stimulate an interest in history among young learners.”

The Prize comes with a cash gift of $13,000 representing the original 13 colonies. The winner also receives a medallion created for the occasion by Mr. Smith’s mother, the noted artist Clarice Smith. In addition, two books are selected each year whose authors receive Honorable Mention medallions and $500 each.

The winner of 2017’s Prize was Margot Lee Shetterly for her non-fiction work, HIDDEN FIGURES, a number one New York Times best seller, which tells the story of the pioneering African-American women who overcame racial barriers at NASA in the 1960s.

The 2018 Panel of Judges for the Prize includes Smith, Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO, New-York Historical Society; Dr. Peter S. Carmichael, Robert C. Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies & Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College; Neme Alperstein, a teacher of Gifted and Talented Students in the New York City Public School system since 1987; Dr. Douglas Bradburn, author, historian, and president/chief executive officer of George Washington’s Mount Vernon; and John Danielson, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Education Management Corporation.

EDITORS NOTE: The Prize will be awarded to the authors of books for children in grades seven through nine about important events and people in America’s history.  They can be works of historical fiction or non-fiction.  We are looking for excellence in writing and storytelling.

• Books published between July 1, 2017 and July 31, 2018 are eligible.

• Books cannot be self-published.

• The plot of the book must focus on historic American events and/or personalities.

• Writing style needs to appeal to young learners in grades seven through nine.

• Works of historical fiction and non-fiction are eligible.

• They may include illustrations that appeal to children in the seventh through ninth  grades and reflect the highest standards of artistic creativity.

• Historic accuracy is very important. Non-fiction works must describe events and individuals in a manner that is well researched and documented. Fictional stories must accurately convey the times in which they are meant to occur.