National Council on Public History - NCPH

09/02/2026

Have you ever seen the annual NCPH election emails or reminders on socials and wondered how the candidates were selected? Have you ever considered self-nomination? The NCPH Nominating Committee is bringing you this History@Work post to demystify the process. We’ll review the work of the Nominating Committee and how the election process works, so that you can be both informed and perhaps ready to join in the process yourself. Read it: https://ncph.org/history-at-work/demystifying-ncph-elections/.

Nominations for the 2026-2027 election cycle are open through September 25, 2026. This cycle we're looking to fill three regular seats on the board, one seat for a student board member, and two nominating committee seats. Elected individuals will begin their terms following next April.

Have you ever seen the annual NCPH election emails or reminders on socials and wondered how the candidates were selected?

09/01/2026

The NCPH Board has honored Kristine Navarro-McElhaney with the 2026 Award for Extraordinary Service!

This award is only given when the board seeks to recognize publicly an individual who has made transformational contributions to the work of NCPH. Kristine’s exceptional leadership and service to NCPH over more than a decade has been defined by careful financial stewardship, enthusiastic promotion of public history, and an unwavering commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility and characterized by unparalleled kindness and uplifting. Join us in congratulating Kristine!

https://ncph.org/about/awards/board-of-directors-award-for-extraordinary-service/

08/28/2026

The Public Historian is seeking proposals for a special issue, Women and Public History: The Professional, the Political, and the Historical.

Contributors will grapple with where women are as subjects and practitioners are at the local, national, and global level. As a collective, we will refocus attention on women’s public history as a nucleus of innovation at the forefront of intersectional, community-engaged thinking in both physical and digital spaces. Some authors will also examine the role of women and non-binary practitioners as they wrestle with labor and funding concerns exacerbated by the current political climate.

Submissions are due November 1, 2026. Find the full details at https://ncph.org/news/the-public-historian-call-for-papers/.

University of California Press

08/27/2026

We’re now accepting NCPH 2027 award nominations! Despite persistent challenges in our field, good public history work continues. Let’s recognize the professionals and students taking up the work! When we meet in St. Louis, April 21-24, 2027, we’ll honor award winners. View full award offerings, and apply or nominate a colleague at: https://ncph.org/about/awards/

08/26/2026

If you’re teaching state history, US history, or world history this school year, we have resources for your classroom! Find your local American WWII Heritage City (there are 38 to choose from!), and help students connect local stories to national home front topics. Each city has a set of lesson plans that are ready-to-use and freely downloadable.
https://ncph.org/what-is-public-history/national-park-service-projects/world-war-ii-home-front-education-materials/

These resources were developed in partnership between NCPH and the World War II Heritage City Program.

08/21/2026

New on History@Work. Ngozi Gift Romanus joins us to discuss why “histories of ordinary Nigerians that shaped Nigerian political and social history” are missing from the National Archives of Nigeria, and how the Archives of the Nigerian Left is bridging the gap so younger generations can “engage directly with their radical heritage” and access “multiple perspectives of Nigerian history.”

Read the full post: https://ncph.org/history-at-work/the-danger-of-a-single-history-from-an-african-perspective/

The National Archives of Nigeria (NAN) preserves the country’s official records. Yet many histories, particularly those of activism among Nigerians, are absent from its collections.

08/20/2026

Nominations are now open for the NCPH book award, recognizing the best book in public history published in 2025 or 2026! The winner receives a $1,000 cash prize and a certificate, both presented at the NCPH 2027 in St. Louis, Missouri.

We seek works about or growing out of public history theory, study, or practice. Entries may be monographs, edited collections, or any other published work of comparable scope. Singly and jointly authored/edited works are welcome, as are international topics. Successful contenders will clearly display the public aspects of their conception, development, and ex*****on, and how they illuminate issues and concerns significant to audiences beyond the academy.

Review full award details and submit by November 1, 2026, at: https://ncph.org/about/awards/book-award/

08/19/2026

Preregistration for our joint conference with the American Association for State and Local History next month will be closed after this Friday, August 21! Lock in the best available rate by registering today: https://ncph.org/conference/2026-annual-meeting/. After August 21, you’ll only be able to register onsite in Providence at an increased rate.

*If you want to join NCPH or renew your membership to get the conference Member Preregistration Rate, you must join or renew by noon on Friday, August 21, so we can make your member registration available. http://ncph.org/join

08/18/2026

An update on the 2027 NCPH awards cycle–Outstanding Public History Project Award submissions are due November 1, 2026! If you know of a public history project that contributed to a broader public reflection and appreciation of the past or that serves as a model of professional public history practice, submit it for consideration! Two $750 awards are available, one for a Large Institution and one for a Small Institution.

Review details and submit at: https://ncph.org/about/awards/ph-project-award/

08/17/2026

New on History@Work–a project showcase from Dr. Jacqueline Hudson with the Filson Historical Society. She explores “This is Black Louisville,” a semi-permanent exhibition featuring “Black life through the lens of economic power, creativity, and resilience in the city.”

This Is Black Louisville is a semi-permanent exhibition that familiarizes visitors with objects in the collection highlighting the Black experience in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Filson Historical Society, a research library. Debuting on September 19, 2025, the exhibition features Black life throug...