The 2026 Victorian Community History Awards, which include a dedicated oral history award, are now open. Submit your entry by 5pm, Tuesday 30 June.
The Victorian Community History Awards are proudly presented by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria (RHSV). They recognise excellence and originality in historical storytelling.
Of particular interest to oral historians is the dedicated Oral History Award. This award recognises the best oral history presentation in any format that uses first-person interviews with individuals with unique life experiences and memories. Oral History Victoria (OHV) is a partner with RHSV in presenting this award.
From 2015 to 2018 OHV staged its own awards, but from 2020 onwards we have partnered with other history-related organisations to instead present a dedicated oral history award as part of the Victorian Community History Awards.
To find out more about the Victorian Community History Awards and to enter go to: https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/victorian-community-history-awards-2026/.
To see previous Victorian oral history award winners go to: https://oralhistoryvictoria.org.au/awards/ and select an award year from the right-hand menu.
National awards
National oral history awards are also open at this time. Nominations and applications are now being accepted for the 2026 Oral History Australia (OHA) awards. The deadline is 31 July 2026.
Winners will be announced at the 2026 OHA Biennial Conference in Adelaide, South Australia, from 3-6 December. The three awards are on offer:
- the OHA Media Award.To
- the Hazel de Berg Award for Excellence in Oral History
- the OHA Book Award.
Find out more and apply online at: https://oralhistoryvictoria.org.au/news/oha-2026-awards-now-open/.