Current Winner(s)
Past Winners
Michael M. Sokal Young Scholar Award
Since 2008, Cheiron has awarded a prize for the best paper or symposium presentation by a young scholar at its yearly conference. In 2026 the award was named in memory of Michael M. Sokal, a founding member of Cheiron known for his extraordinary support of young scholars pursuing research in the history of the behavioral sciences. To be eligible for consideration, the young scholar must be the sole or first author of the paper and must be responsible for the bulk of the work of the paper.
“Young scholars” are defined as those currently working toward their degree, as well as those who have completed their master’s or doctoral work not more than 5 years prior to this year’s meeting.
Applicants should submit a “slightly edited” version of the paper presented at the June 2026 online Cheiron meeting. This may include small changes or additions, but the finished, polished paper should not exceed 5,000 words (including footnotes). Applicants should use the style required by the Journal of the History of the Behavioral and Social Sciences (JHBS).
Submissions should be sent to Mark Solovey [[email protected]] and Nadine Weidman [[email protected]]. Entries will be judged by members of this year’s Program Committee and Cheiron’s Review Committee. The winner will receive a certificate from Cheiron and will be encouraged to submit his or her paper to the Journal of the History of Behavioral Sciences within a reasonable period of time. The Award winner may ask reviewers for assistance in preparing their paper for submission to JHBS. If the paper is accepted by JHBS for publication, the winner will receive a $500 honorarium from the publisher, Wiley Blackwell, in recognition of the Cheiron YoungScholar Award.
We encourage all those who qualify as “Young Scholars” to submit their work to Mark Solovey [[email protected]] and Nadine Weidman [[email protected]].
The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2026.
About the Young Scholar Award
Since 2008, Cheiron has awarded a prize for the best paper or symposium presentation by a young scholar. In 2026 the award was named in memory of Michael M. Sokal, a founding member of Cheiron known for his extraordinary support of young scholars pursuing research in the history of the behavioral sciences. To be eligible for consideration, the young scholar must be the sole or first author on the paper and must be responsible for the bulk of the work of the paper. The young scholar must be a student currently or must have completed doctoral work (or other final degree) not more than 5 years prior to the meeting where the work was presented. Past winners of this award are no longer eligible.
About three weeks after the Cheiron meeting, applicants for this award will submit a copy of the presented paper (rather than the abstract); it may include further, minor changes and bibliography. Submissions go to the Cheiron Executive Officer, who sets the exact deadline and determines eligibility, and the entries will be judged by select members of the Program Committee and the Review Committee. The winner will be announced by early autumn following the Cheiron meeting, will receive a certificate, and will be asked to submit the paper to the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences within a reasonable period of time. The Award winner may ask Cheiron for assistance in preparing the paper for submission to JHBS. If the paper is accepted by JHBS for publication, the winner will receive a $500 honorarium from the publisher, Wiley-Blackwell, in recognition of the Cheiron Young Scholar Award. Please note that the award committee may choose not to grant an award in any given year and that the honorarium depends on publication in JHBS, in addition to winning the award.