Professional Historians Association Victoria & Tasmania

Do you have someone you could nominate? We can help with your application!

🏆 Applications for the 2026 HCV Jane Hansen Prize are now open!

The Jane Hansen Prize for History Advocacy is awarded to an individual or group who has advocated for the value of history, the work of historians and/or the importance of an education in history.

Do you know someone who has worked hard to preserve, celebrate or promote engagement with history in Victoria? Recognise their work by nominating them now! The winner recieves $1000 and a certificate to be awarded at our prestigious 2026 Annual Lecture in September.

Applications close August 21.

➡️ Read more and apply here: https://historycouncilvic.org.au/prizes-and-competitions/jane-hansen-prize-for-history-advocacy/

A very interesting article in The Conversation today. Thoughts?

Australians are hungry for new history books – but historians are pressured not to publish locally A new study shows that workplace priorities for Australian historians make it harder for their work to reach Australian readers – despite strong public interest.

Charles Thatcher was one of the best-known entertainers of the Australian goldfields during the 1850s and 1860s. The Queensland Tiger has revived the songs he performed throughout the Victorian goldfields, transforming contemporary events into witty and often satirical songs that provide a remarkable insight into everyday life during the gold rush era.

Visit the Queensland Tiger to download and listen to the songs (no charge): https://thequeenslandtiger.com/albums/

This year's Wilson History Oration, hosted by PHA (SA) and presented by Karen George promises to be a fascinating exploration into the difference historians make in our lives.

Thursday, 16 June 6 pm (ACST) 6.30 pm, EST
Presented in person at Adelaide University or via Zoom. Register for the Zoom link below.

https://phavic.wildapricot.org/event-6726318

The Victorian Community History Awards 2026 are now open!

If you've produced a community history project – or know someone who has – now is the time to put in a submission. There are nine categories covering a wide range of history work:

- The Collaborative Community History Award

- The Community Diversity Award

- The Local History Project Award

- The Oral History Award

- The History Publication Award

- The History Interpretation Award

- The Digital Storytelling Award

- The History Article Award

- The Small History Publication Award

Submissions close Tuesday 30 June, and this year's awards cover work completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026 – so there's plenty to celebrate.

Head to https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/victorian-community.../ for the submission form and full terms and conditions. Good luck to everyone entering!

Oral History Australia's 2026 awards are now open! Three awards are on offer:

* the Hazel de Berg Award for Excellence in Oral History; * the OHA Book Award, * the OHA Media Award.

The deadline for submissions is 31 July. Visit the website for more information.

https://oralhistoryaustralia.org.au/news/oha-2026-awards-now-open/

Nominations for the AMaGA awards are now open! Australia's museums, galleries, libraries, archives, and cultural institutions do extraordinary work and the AMaGAs exist to recognise it. This year's eligibility period covers projects produced between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025, with the extended window reflecting the awards hiatus in 2025.

https://amaga.org.au/Web/Web/Awards/Awards-homepage.aspx

Awards Homepage After a hiatus in 2025, the Australian Museums and Galleries Awards return in 2026. Nominations open May 28th, 2026 and close August 16th, 2026.

Registration for the AEHS 2026 Conference is now open! The theme this year is 'Local History: thinking outside the archival box'. The conference is open to anyone interested in local history.

You're invited to join for a day of learning, networking, and inspiration.

Register at: www.trybooking.com/DLLAE
More info: https://aehs.org.au/index.php/2026conference/

PHA (Vic & Tas) sends our congratulations to Professor Clare Wright Historian for winning the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction AND Book of the Year at the NSW Literary Awards for Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions.

The book is without question one of the most important Australian history books of the 21st century and a tremendous accomplishment.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/18/clare-wright-wins-book-of-the-year-nsw-literary-awards

‘A book that should be read by all Australians’: Clare Wright wins book of the year at the NSW Literary awards The historian won $50,000 for her nonfiction book Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions, which judges praised as deeply researched, ‘highly original’ and ‘vividly alive’