The History Prizes

  • Winners of the Study Grants and History Prizes awarded by the Fondation Napoléon in 2023, with its president, Victor-André Masséna, Prince d'Essling © Fondation Napoléon - Rebecca Young
  • The 2022 Fondation Napoléon Prizes and Grant winners 2022 © Fondation Napoléon - Rebecca Young
  • The 2021 History Prize and Grant winners, with Victor-André Masséna, Prince d'Essling, President of the Fondation Napoléon, Laurent Theis, general secretary of the Prize and Grants Jury © Fondation Napoléon / Rebecca Young
  • The 2020 History Prize and Grant winners, with Victor-André Masséna Prince d'Essling, President of the Fondation Napoléon, Laurent Theis, general secretary of the Prize and Grants Jury © Fondation Napoléon / Rebecca Young
  • The 2019 prize- and grant-winners with the vice-president of the Conseil d'État, Mr Bruno Lasserre
  • The 2017 prize- and grant-winners with HIH Princess Napoléon, Laurent Theis, Director of the awards jury, and Victor-André Masséna Prince d'Essling, President of the Fondation Napoléon
  • The 2014 prize winners alongside Her Imperial Highness the Princess Napoléon and M. Masséna, Prince d'Essling, President of the Fondation Napoléon and Sir Peter Ricketts, British Ambassador to France. © Fondation Napoléon
  • The 2014 Fondation Napoléon Grands Prix ceremony took place at the British Ambassador's Residence in Paris, the Hôtel de Charost. © Fondation Napoléon
  • The winners of the 2013 Fondation Napoléon Prizes and Grants, with HIH Princess Napoleon and Victor-André Masséna, Prince d'Essling, président of the Fondation Napoléon. © Fondation Napoléon
  • The award ceremony in the Salon de la Rotonde of the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris. © Fondation Napoléon
  • The winners of the 2012 Fondation Napoléon Prizes and Grants, with HIH Princess Napoleon, M. N. Paolini, chairman and CEO of TF1 Group, and Victor-André Masséna, Prince d'Essling, président of the Fondation Napoléon. © Fondation Napoléon

 

Prize: history and rules

As part of its mission to encourage research and public interest in the history of the two empires, every year an independent jury composed of some of the best First and Second Empire historians awards in the name of the Fondation Napoléon history prizes (from 1990 continuing what used to be the Prix du Souvenir Napoléonien). On 11 December 2019, the Board of Trustees of the Fondation Napoléon validated a modification to the prize rules whereby, from now on, two Prizes will be awarded, a Grand Prix (5,000) euros and a Prix du jury (3,500 euros).

• The Grand Prix is awarded to works in French on the history of the Consulate and the First Empire or possibly the period of the French Revolution at the end of the July Monarchy. It may also be awarded to a work dealing with the Second Republic, the Second Empire, or possibly one dealing with a later period up to the present day, provided that the theme is Napoleonic history or the history of the Imperial family.

• The “Prix du Jury” [Jury Prize] is nominated by one or more members of the jury and is awarded to a literary or artistic work or action related to Napoleonic history. In particular, this prize can be awarded to a historian, academic, writer, artist, curator or manager of a Napoleonic establishment “for their career”.

Eligible works must have been published or performed for the first time between the 1st October in year ‘n minus one’ and 30th September in year ‘n’ (for example, in 2005, between 1st October 2004 and 30th September, 2005).

To compete for a History Prize, all you have to do is:

  • For books: send 15 copies of the work to the Fondation Napoléon (and NOT directly to the members of the jury) – the Fondation will then send them on to the jury.
  • For audio-visual or musical works: send in the same way fifteen copies of the work, with an accompanying presentation dossier.
    For the complete rules (in French) click here.

History Prize address:

Fondation Napoléon
History Prizes
7, rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
75005 Paris
France

For further information about the History Prizes:
Thierry Lentz, email: lentz(at)napoleon.org

THE JURY FOR THE FONDATION NAPOLÉON HISTORY PRIZES AND RESEARCH GRANTS

  • President: Victor-André Masséna, Prince d’Essling, President of the Fondation Napoléon
  • General Secretary: Laurent Theis
  • Members of the jury:
  • Professor Marie-Pierre Rey, historian
  • Laetitia de Witt, historian
  • Professor Éric Anceau, historien
  • Professor Jacques-Olivier Boudon, President of the Institut Napoléon
  • Prince Gabriel de Broglie, Chancellor of the Institut
  • Jean-Christophe Buisson, historian, Editor of Figaro Magazine
    and presenter of Historiquement Show on the Histoire TV Channel
  • Professor Patrice Gueniffey, historian
  • Jean-Marie Rouart, of the Institut
  • Professor Jean Tulard, of the Institut
  • Emmanuel de Waresquiel, historian
  • Adrien Goetz, of the Institut (Académie des Beaux-Arts)

Updated December 2023


Previous winners of the Fondation Napoléon History Prizes and Grands Prix