The Runciman Award, organised by the Anglo-Hellenic League and with the generous support of the National Bank of Greece, is awarded each year to a book devoted to an aspect of Hellenic Studies.
The Anglo-Hellenic League is again offering a prize, known as the Runciman Award in honour of the late Sir Steven Runciman, for a work wholly or mainly about some aspect of Greece or the world of Hellenism, published in English in any country of the world in its first edition during 2012.
The aim of the award is to stimulate interest in Greek history and culture from earliest times to the present; to reward and encourage good and accessible writing, of which Sir Steven’s works are an example; and to promote wider knowledge and understanding of Greece’s contribution to civilization and values. The judges will have these aims in mind, giving due weight to the criterion of increasing understanding of Greece’s contribution to civilization.
No category of writing will be excluded from consideration. Thus, for example, the prize may be awarded for a work in the field of history, literary studies, biography, travel and topography, the arts, architecture, archaeology, the environment, social and political sciences or current affairs; or for a work of fiction, poetry or drama. Works in translation, with the exception of translations from Greek literature, will not be considered.
In selecting books for submission publishers should note:
• no more than 10 books may be submitted by any one publisher;
• books of multiple authorship (more than 3 authors or contributors), or edited books, will not be eligible;
• the judges will look with particular (but not exclusive) favour on books which have a potential readership beyond the specialist and academic, of interest to an educated public with little or no knowledge of Greece;
• the RRP of each submitted book should be indicated on the entry form.
The prize money is £9,000, sponsored by The National Bank of Greece. How this prize is awarded is the responsibility of the judges, whose decision is final.
It is a condition of the award that shortlisted books should be available for purchase to readers in the UK at the time of the award ceremony (June 2013). Publishers of shortlisted books will be notified by the Anglo-Hellenic League.
The Runciman Award Judges for 2013 are:
Professor Tony Spawforth, Professor of Ancient History, University of Newcastle, School of Historical Studies, Newcastle-on-Tyne, NE1 7RU
Dr Chris Burnand, Abingdon School, Park Road, Abingdon, OXON, OX14 1DE
Dr Angeliki Lymberopoulou, Lecturer, Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA
Dr. Dionysis Kapsalis, Director of the Cultural Foundation of the National Bank of Greece;
(20 Agiou Isidorou Street, Athens 114 71, Greece)
For an application form please click here.
Publishers are invited to send a copy of each work they wish to submit to each of the judges at their individual addresses above, plus a copy together with entry form to the Anglo-Hellenic League, 16-18 Paddington Street, London W1U 5AS
All entries must be received by 21st January 2013. Earlier submissions will be welcome. Queries may be emailed to the Administrator of the Award, Chrysanthy Monios at: info@anglohellenicleague.org
The winner of the 2012 Award was ‘The Maeander Valley’ by Peter Thonemann (Cambridge University Press £65 Hardcover)
The Shortlist for the 2012 Award was as follows:-
• D'Angour, Armand - 'The Greeks and the New’ (Cambridge University Press)
• Gruen, Erich S. - 'Rethinking the Other in Antiquity' (Princeton University Press)
• Kurke, Leslie - 'Aesopic Conversations' (Princeton University Press)
• Ogden, Daniel - 'Alexander the Great: Myth, Genesis and Sexuality' (Exeter University Press)
• Osborne, Robin - 'The History written on the Classical Greek Body’ (Cambridge University Press)
• Shear, Julia L. - 'Polis and Revolution' (Cambridge University Press)
• Thonemann, Peter - 'The Maeander Valley' (Cambridge University Press)
The winning author received his award at a ceremony held at The Hellenic Centre, London on the 13 June 2012.
Download a list of past winners
The Runciman Award, first conceived in 1983 during Lord Jellicoe’s chairmanship of the Anglo-Hellenic League, was presented for the first time in 1986 and named in honour of Sir Steven Runciman, the eminent Byzantine scholar and the League’s longest serving Chairman. It is given each year for a work wholly or mainly about some aspect of Greece or the world of Hellenism, published in English in its first edition in the previous year. The aim of the Award is to stimulate interest in Greek history and culture from earliest times to the present; to reward and encourage good and accessible writing, of which Sir Steven’s works are an example; and to promote wider knowledge and understanding of Greece’s contribution to civilization and values. The Judges will have these aims in mind, giving due weight to the criterion of increasing understanding of Greece’s contribution to civilization. No category of writing will be excluded from consideration. Thus, for example, the prize may be awarded for a work in the field of history, literary studies, biography, travel and topography, the arts, architecture, archaeology, the environment, social and political sciences or current affairs; or for a work of fiction, poetry or drama. Works in translation, with the exception of translations from Greek literature, will not be considered.
The prestige of the Runciman Award is reflected in the quality of its three judges. Each judge serves for three years, acting in the third year as Chair and then retiring so as to make way for a new judge. A fourth judge is nominated by the sponsor
The Runciman Award has received funding from private sources, business and institutions with an interest in the promotion of Greek Culture. Sponsors have included the Onassis Foundation and, since 1999, the National Bank of Greece. On average forty books per year are submitted for appraisal. How the prize is awarded is the responsibility of the judges, whose decision is final.
It is a condition of the Award that short-listed books should be available for purchase to readers in the UK at the time of the Award ceremony. Publishers of shortlisted books will be notified by the Anglo-Hellenic League
From 2006, the value of the Award rose to £9000, a substantial increase on previous years. This reflects the growing prestige of the prize and the related decision, taken in 2004 by the League in conjunction with the sponsors, the National Bank of Greece, to internationalise the award. It can now be awarded for a book published in any part of the world, provided it is first published in English, and meets the other criteria set out above.
Since 2002 the winner has received a medal in addition to the money prize. This was due to the close personal interest of the late Dr. Theodoros Karatzas, then Governor of the National Bank of Greece. The League remains indebted to the Bank for its strong support of the Award.