The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Gettysburg College, is awarded annually for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or the American Civil War era.
The prize was established in 1990 by Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman in partnership with Dr. Gabor Boritt, Director Emeritus of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. The Prize generally goes to a book but in rare instances an important article or essay might be honored. It is intended chiefly to encourage outstanding new scholarship.
In 2018, University of Richmond President Edward Ayers received the prize for his book The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America.
The prize consisted, in part, of a bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln. The bust is an exact replica of the head and shoulders, resized, of the original sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The original sculpture, entitled Abraham Lincoln: The Man, is in Lincoln Park in Chicago. Completed in 1887, it has been described as the most important sculpture of Lincoln from the 19th century.
The Gilder Lehman Institute presents the August Saint-Gaudens bronze to the winner of the Lincoln Prize as an enduring symbol of their respect. President Ayers’ award is on display on the second floor of Boatwright Library, opposite his portrait.
~ Kevin Butterfield, University Librarian