The Peterson Prize

To encourage the research, writing, and publication of Sonoma County history and to recognize the importance of public records in that research and writing, the Sonoma County Historical Records Commission sponsors the annual Peterson Prize Competition and invites submission of manuscripts on topics in Sonoma County history and culture. Winning manuscripts are awarded cash prizes and are guaranteed publication. Submitted manuscripts must focus on some aspect of the history and culture of Sonoma County, and must be submitted by March 15 each year.

History of the Prize

Bernice Peterson served as Sonoma County Recorder for twenty-four years, from August 19, 1977 until her retirement on August 27, 2001. Initially appointed and then elected for five terms, she was Sonoma County's only female Recorder and the last person to hold the office now merged with that of the County Clerk and Assessor. During her long tenure Bernice Peterson oversaw the incorporation of new technologies in the Recorder's Office, earned a national reputation in records management and preservation, and played a critical role in the formation and development of the Sonoma County Historical Records Commission. For over twenty years Bernice Peterson has contributed significantly to the study of Sonoma County's history and the Peterson Prize Competition recognizes those contributions.

Specifics

The Competition includes a Senior Division and a Junior Division. The Senior Division is open to all writers, but the Junior Division is open only to high school students.

Manuscripts must be based on extensive research in the public records of Sonoma County and must include documentation testifying to that research.

Manuscripts will be evaluated by a five-judge panel including one member from the Sonoma County Historical Records Commission, one from the history faculty at Sonoma State University, one from the faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College, one from the staff of the Sonoma County Public Library, and one from the Sonoma County Historical Society. Panels will be reconstituted before the annual competition cycle begins and no member may serve more than three consecutive terms.

The Senior Division includes both a prize of $500 for manuscripts of 16,000 to 40,000 words (Category A) and a prize of $250 for manuscripts of 5,000 to 8,000 words (Category B).

The Junior Division includes a prize of $150 for manuscripts of at least 1000 words including foot or endnotes and bibliography.

Guidelines for Submission

All entries must focus on some aspect of the history and culture of Sonoma County.

Manuscripts of 16,000 to 40,000 words may be submitted in Category A of the Senior Division and manuscripts of 5,000 to 8,000 words in Category B of the Senior Division. Manuscripts of at least 1000 words including foot or endnotes and bibliography may be submitted in the Junior Division.

Footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography are required and must follow The Chicago Manual of Style, fourteenth edition, Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, seventh edition, or Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, fifth edition.

Manuscripts must be typed or printed on a letter-quality printer with one-inch margins all around except on the left, where a margin of one and one quarter inch should be left for binding.

All manuscripts must include immediately after the title page a statement of 50 to 100 words explaining the thesis or argument of the writer and noting how public records contributed to completion of the project. An example follows:

Erecting a Chemical Shield:
Protecting California Crops in a Time of Growth

During the last quarter of the nineteenth century agriculture became increasingly important in California’s economy, and the state became actively involved in promoting and protecting it. This study of the Sonoma County Board of Horticultural Commissioners examines the state’s efforts to protect crops from imported pests in one California County and how local conditions such as the size of the county reduced the effectiveness of the program. Research depended heavily on the monthly Reports of the County Board of Horticultural Commissioners found in the Sonoma County Archives. (99 words including title)

Six copies of manuscripts must be submitted to the Chair of the Historical Records Commission by May 15.

Procedures

Manuscripts are read and judged during the spring, and the winners will be announced on or about the 4th of July.

Winning manuscripts will be published in appropriate form within one year of the date of the award and the winning essays will be published as part of a collection every three years.

The Chair of the Historical Records Commission is responsible for convening the Prize Committee as soon as possible after August 1 of each calendar year and for insuring that Committee members elect a chair and adopt a schedule allowing completion of their work by the end of the calendar year. Results of the Committee’s deliberations shall be reported to the Chair of the Historical Records Commission by July 1 of the following calendar year.

Should a member of the Committee be unable to complete evaluation of the manuscripts submitted, the Chair of the Historical records Commission may appoint a substitute from the same constituency or from another educational institution, public agency, or historical association considered to be comparable to that one represented by the absent committee member.

Policy

The Sonoma County Historical Records Commission continues its efforts to encourage research, writing, and reading on topics of local interest by adopting the following policies:

• Solicit, compile and circulate widely a list of possible research topics to encourage local historians -- both lay and academic -- to enter the Peterson Prize Competition and to fill gaps in Sonoma County historiography.
  
  
• Adopt a program of selecting and publishing existing theses and seminar papers on Sonoma County history and culture. Works may be nominated either by their authors or by others aware of their value, will be evaluated by the Peterson Prize Committee, approved by the Historical Records Commission, and published in limited editions.