Cold War Essay Contest | John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis, Virginia Military Institute

2026-2027 Contest

John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis, Virginia Military Institute

Call for Papers

• Date: September 2026
• Location: Virginia, United States
• Subject Fields:
  • Military History,
  • Diplomatic History,
  • Area Studies,
  • Diplomacy and International Relations,
  • Russian or Soviet History / Studies

The John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia, will award prizes for the best papers on Cold War military history. First prize will earn a plaque and a cash award of $2,000; second prize, $1,000 and a plaque; and third prize, $500 and a plaque.
We invite paper submissions that meet all of the following requirements:

• the paper represents innovative, unpublished, primary source-based scholarship from a rising scholar, i.e. Ph.D. candidates to assistant professors (or equivalent) at the beginning of their careers (i.e. up to three years in their position)
• the paper is between 5,000 and 8,000 words in length, has a clearly identifiable thesis, and demonstrates the historical significance of the thesis
• the paper covers any aspect of Cold War military history (1945-1991), including military strategy, plans, and operations; the relationship between the armed forces and society; international security affairs; Cold War alliances; and the connections between Cold War military history and contemporary geopolitical challenges; essays may embrace a U.S. or global focus

Procedures

Submissions are due electronically to the Adams Center at the Virginia Military Institute by Friday, Dec. 04, 2026.

Please include a 200-word bio with your electronic submission and format your paper in accordance with the following guidelines:

• Submit your paper as a Microsoft Word document.
• The text should be double spaced and between 5,000 and 8,000 words in length; notes, charts, tables, and bibliography do not count toward the word limit.
• Footnotes should be numbered consecutively from the beginning using Arabic numerals.

A panel of judges will examine all papers; the Adams Center will announce the winners in early February 2027. The first-prize winning essay will appear in The Journal of Military History.

• Submissions to: [email protected]
• Questions to: Dr. Jochen S. Arndt, Professor and Deputy Director
  • John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis, Department of History, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA 24450
  • [email protected]