The Hawes Award, established in 1993, is given for the best book in Georgia county or local history published during the previous year. The award is named in honor of Lilla M. Hawes, GHS Director from 1948 to 1976 and carries a cash prize of $500.

Nomination Information:

Awards are announced early in the year, books submitted should be published between January 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year. The deadline for submission is January 15. Four copies of the nominated books should be sent to the Georgia Historical Society at the address below. Nominated books cannot be returned. Only the winner will be notified in advance of the presentation of the award.

Nominations should include a cover page with the following information:

• title of book

• contact name, address, phone number, fax number, and email

• date of publication

Please submit 4 copies of each book to:

Lilla Hawes Award

The Georgia Historical Society

501 Whitaker Street

Savannah GA 31401

Previous Winners (partial list):

2011: The House on Diamond Hill, by Tiya Miles, published by University of North Carolina Press


2009-2010: The Story of Georgia's Boundaries: A Meeting of History and Geography by William J. Morton, published by Georgia History Press 

2008: Never for Want of Powder:The Confederate Powder Works in Augusta, GA, by C. L. Bragg, Charles D. Ross, Gordon A. Baker, Stephanie A. T. Jacobe, and Theodore P. Savas, published by University of South Carolina Press

2007: The Genesis of Grady County, by Gwendolyn Brock Waldorf, published by the Grady County Historical Society

2006: Berry College: A History, by Ouida Dickey and Doyle Mathis, published by University of Georgia Press

2005: Gardens and Historic Plants of the Antebellum South, by James Cothran, published by University of South Carolina Press

2004: Freedom, by Michael Thurmond, published by Longstreet Press

2003: The Brightest Arm of the Savannah: The Augusta Canal, 1845-2000, by Edward J. Cashin

2002: Oracle of the Ages: Reflections on the Curious Life of Fortune Teller Mayhaley Lancaster, by Dot Moore

2000: From Beautiful Zion to Redbird Creek: A History of Bryan County, Georgia, by Buddy Sullivan

1999: A Power for Good: The History of Trinity Parish, Columbus, Georgia, by Lynn Willoughby

1998: Pilgrims Through the Years: A Bicentennial History of the First Baptist Church, Savannah, Georgia, by George H. Shriver