In May 2020, the Trustees of the International Society for the History of the Map (ISHMap) established prizes for the best papers delivered at the ISHMap Symposium and for projects in map history that advance the field beyond the boundaries of academic publication. The Best Paper prizes were first awarded in 2020, and the Project in Map History Prize in 2021.

Budget permitting, the Trustees intend to offer each award every two years.

ISHMap Prizes in Map History

Best Symposium Papers

ISHMap will reward up to two Best Paper Prizes for original work presented at each ISHMap Symposium, one each to a presenter with a terminal degree and one without a terminal degree. Presentations must be delivered live at the symposium. Additional details about the prize and evaluation process can be found:

Best Paper Delivered live at the ISHMap Symposium by a Participant with a terminal degree (e.g., PhD, MLA, MFA, etc..).

Best Paper Delivered live at the ISHMap Symposium by a Participant without a terminal degree

2020 Winners

Best paper by a presenter with a terminal degree:
Carolina Martinez, CONICET/Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina
A Case of Dislocated Toponymy? Thule Island from Pytheas to Cook’s Second Voyage of Circumnavigation (1772-1775),” has received the award for best paper delivered by a participant with a terminal degree during the society’s biennial symposium, held (virtually) on June 12-13, 2020.

Best Paper by a presenter without a graduate degree:
Brenda Degger, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil
“The Frontier of the Known World: The Allegory of America and the Images of Artemis, XVI and Early XVII Centuries” has received the award for best paper delivered by a participant without a terminal graduate degree during the society’s biennial symposium, held (virtually) on June 12-13, 2020.

Both talks were given during Session 3: Map Fixations: Toponomies and Allegories and are available with the Symposium videos online.

2022 Winners

Best paper by a presenter with a terminal degree:
Lucía Rodríguez Arrillaga and Lucía Mariño, UDELAR, Uruguay 
“From photo cameras on a plane to the map: a study of the territory’s aerial photographic survey and the map of Uruguay carried out during the Second World War with the cooperation of the United States”.

Honorable Mention
Marissa Griffioen, Bram Vannieuwenhuyze, & Anne-Rieke van Schaik (Netherlands) “Making a Handbook of Historical Cartography”

Best Paper by a presenter without a graduate degree:
Brenda Degger, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil
“Mapping in 20th century literature: a case study of Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydian (1964-1968)”

Honorable Mention
Bruno Stori, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil 
“Transformations of the representation of lake Parime on the cartography of 18th and 19th centuries”

2025 Winners

Best paper by a presenter with a terminal degree:
Zeinab Azarbadegan, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
“The Domain of Two Sovereigns: Ottoman Mapping of Iraq,” 

Best Paper by a presenter without a graduate degree:
Dominic Keyßner, Universität Erfurt, Germany
“Cartographies of Anti-Imperialism? Mapping a (Post-)Colonial World in the Socialist East (1960s–1970s”

Honorable Mention
Milena Natividade da Cruz, Universidade São Paulo, Brazil 
“Historical Cartography and Processes of Racialization: The Case of the Mural Maps by Longchamps and Janvier (1754)”

Project in Map History

This Prize recognizes a project that increases accessibility and engagement with maps and map history through innovative presentation other than academic publication.

The ISHMap Prize in Map History, awarded every two years and presented at the ISHMap General Assembly, will recognize a project that explores the history of maps and mapping outside of the format of an academic paper, book, or edited collection in a way that increases accessibility and engagement with maps and map history through innovative presentations. The prize will uplift projects that seek to expand the subjects, audience, scope, and/or methodology of engaging with the history of maps and mapping. Projects can take many forms including, but in no way limited to, physical exhibitions, datasets, online exhibitions, multimedia projects such as podcasts and films, thematic maps, games, and digital products.

The prize winner, honorable mentions, and notable nominations were announced on June 10, 2021. Prize winners for the 2024 prize have also been announced.

More details for 2026, including eligibility and nomination options, are available in the official announcement. Please nominate or self-nominate a project.