Military Order of the Stars & Bars

Literary Awards

To apply for a MOS&B Literary Award, please click the Contact Us button to request entry procedures or other information.

Douglas S. Freeman History Award

The Douglas Southall Freeman History Award is given for the best published book of high merit in the field of Southern history beginning with the colonial period to the present time. The award shall be given only to works of high merit. If no work is submitted that meets the high standards of the Freeman History Award regulations, no award shall be given that year. The award shall be in the amount of $1,000 paid directly to the author. The winner also shall receive an engraved trophy denoting that he was the recipient of the award. All books to be considered for this year’s award shall be submitted to the Freeman History Committee by the publisher. All entries must be accompanied by a letter from the publisher giving the official date of publication. All entries must be accompanied by a biographical sketch of the author.

If the winning book goes to a second printing, it shall contain the acknowledgment that it was selected as the winner of the Freeman History Award plus stating the year it was awarded. The book shall also list the previous winners with additions as necessary. In response to the educational and historical charge set forth in the national Military Order of the Stars & Bars constitution, the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award was established. The award was named in honor of the premier historian of General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.

General Basil W. Duke Literary award

The General Basil W. Duke Award is given to encourage the re-issuance of out-of-print books that accurately present history of the War for Southern Independence. The Award shall be in the amount of $1,000 presented directly to the publisher of the reprinted volume. The publisher shall receive an engraved trophy denoting that he was the recipient of the award all books to be considered for this award shall be submitted to the Judging Committee by April 1st by the publisher. Invitation to participate in the competition is extended to any publisher who issues a book between May 1st of the previous year and April 1st of the current year, that has not been republished since the expiration of the original copyright. All entries must include a letter from the publisher stating the year the book was published originally, and the date the reprint was issued. The judges shall consider the quality, accuracy, style and value to Confederate historiography when selecting the winning book. Regimental histories, autobiographies, memoirs and biographies of noted Confederate leaders are among the types of books to be considered for this award. If the winning book goes to a second printing, it shall contain an acknowledgment that selected as the winner of the General Basil W. Duke Award, plus stating the year it was awarded.

John Esten Cooke Fiction Award

The John Esten Cooke Fiction Award is given annually to encourage writers of fiction to portray characters and events dealing with the War Between the States, Confederate heritage, or Southern history in a historically accurate fashion. The award shall be in the amount of $1,000 paid directly to the author. The winner shall receive an engraved trophy denoting that he/she was the recipient of the award. All books to be considered for this year’s award shall be submitted to the John Esten Cooke Fiction Award Committee by April 1st.

Invitation to participate in the contest is extended to any person who has written a book-length work of fiction published between May 1st, two years prior and April 1st of this year. All entries must be accompanied by a letter from the publisher stating the official date of publication. Each entry must be accompanied by a biographical sketch of the author. The judges will consider the effectiveness of research, accuracy of statement, and excellence of style in selecting the winner. All entries must be book length. If the winning book goes to a second printing, it shall contain the acknowledgment that it was selected as the winner of the Cooke Fiction Award along with stating the year the award was made.

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