Opportunity to Attend the Public History Conference in the United States with a USD 500 Travel Grant – 2027
Applicant criteria
- No specific age required
- Both
Opportunity criteria
Opportunity description
The National Council on Public History (NCPH) has opened applications for two student awards in the field of public history. Each award provides USD 500 in financial support to help recipients attend the 2027 NCPH Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
The opportunity includes the Student Project Award, which recognizes an outstanding student project that has made an impact beyond the classroom, and the Graduate Student Travel Award, which supports master’s and doctoral students who will present a research paper, academic poster, or another contribution as part of the conference program.
Benefits
1. Student Project Award
This award recognizes a student project that has made a clear contribution to the field of public history and created an impact beyond the requirements of an academic course.
The winning project team will receive:
- A USD 500 travel grant to help attend the NCPH 2027 Annual Meeting.
- A complimentary ticket to the Awards Breakfast.
- Formal recognition of the project during the council’s annual meeting.
- An opportunity to present the project’s impact to a specialized public history community.
Eligible projects may include:
- Public history exhibitions.
- Oral history projects.
- Digital archives and collections.
- Preservation and heritage studies.
- Digital history websites and platforms.
- Heritage guides and trails.
- Projects developed in cooperation with a museum, archive, or cultural institution.
2. Graduate Student Travel Award
The council offers up to five travel awards each year, valued at USD 500 each, for master’s and doctoral students with an accepted contribution to the NCPH 2027 Annual Meeting.
Each recipient will receive:
- USD 500 in financial support to help cover conference attendance expenses.
- A complimentary ticket to the Awards Breakfast.
- A certificate presented during the conference.
- An opportunity to present a research paper or poster, or participate in a working group.
- Networking opportunities with researchers, institutions, and public history professionals.
The award provides partial support toward attendance costs. The official page does not state that it covers all travel, accommodation, or registration expenses.
Eligibility criteria
Eligibility for the Student Project Award
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- The project must have been completed by an individual student or a group of students.
- The students must have been enrolled in an academic public history program when the project was carried out.
- The project must have been completed within the two academic years preceding the application deadline.
- The project must have originated as part of a course or academic activity.
- It must have subsequently received recognition or been used beyond the classroom.
- The academic institution or sponsoring faculty member must be an NCPH member.
- The project must demonstrate a clear contribution to public history and an impact on an institution or audience.
Eligibility for the Graduate Student Travel Award
Applicants must:
- Be currently enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program.
- Conduct research or professional practice clearly related to public history.
- Submit a research paper, poster, or another contribution to the NCPH 2027 Annual Meeting.
- Have their contribution accepted into the final conference program before the funding becomes effective.
- Not have previously received an NCPH travel award during the same graduate degree program.
- Join NCPH as a student member if selected for the award.
- Provide proof of current graduate enrollment.
Required Documents for the Student Project Award
The application must include:
- The online application form.
- A CV or professional résumé.
- A two- to three-page written description of the project.
- An explanation of how the project enhanced the students’ understanding of public history.
- A description of the project’s impact on the institution, the field, and the public.
- A description of the methodology, outcomes, and significance of the project.
- Supporting materials, such as photographs, recordings, links, or printed materials.
- Evidence of public impact or evaluation, such as reviews or audience feedback.
- A letter from the sponsoring faculty member.
- A letter from the institution that accepted or used the project.
The project narrative, letters, and supplementary materials must be combined into a single Word or PDF file before uploading.
Required Documents for the Graduate Student Travel Award
Applicants must submit:
- The online application form.
- A copy of the abstract for the paper, poster, or other contribution submitted to the conference.
- A CV that includes education, awards, publications, and public history experience.
- A travel budget.
- Proof of current enrollment in a master’s or doctoral program.
- A statement of no more than 500 words explaining:
- The applicant’s original contribution.
- The central argument or main idea of the presentation.
- The importance of the contribution to the field of public history.
- The applicant’s financial need for the award.
- The signature of the department chair or academic supervisor
Discover the Most Important Tips for Writing a Conference Paper
Explore More Scientific Conferences