History is the one thing that determines the fate of mankind and it also pushes it to reach boundaries, that makes the future achievable and to some extent predictable as well, it is a very deep asset to every nation. History has been represented in various ways and there has hardly been a time when neutrality and subjectivity has not affected its perception. However at times there have been certain projections of history that have created waves in the historical society. Such interpretations deserve appreciation and the opportunity to be presented to the world. This is precisely what the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature does. One of the most renowned and prestigious awards in the literary society, this prize serves as a milestone for the potential interpretations of history that needs to be showcased and displayed to the world.
The origin of the Cundill platform
The Cundill Prize came into existence in 2008, with the intention to serve, promote and appreciate the development and progress of literary and academic achievements throughout the sands of time as represented in the pages of hundreds of books. McGill University offers this to authors who have managed to interpret history in a way that has profoundly affected the historical community at large. Any individual, from any nationality is eligible for this prize as long as he or she has represented history with its raw dimensions intact.
The rules and the criteria of Cundill
There are certain rules and regulations involved when it comes to submitting a book for the application process and they must be implemented. It is imperative that the publisher submits the application and the language of the book has to be in English or at least translated to English. The books as submitted must be showing sufficient information regarding research and the referencesused. There is a specific date range within which the application has to be completed and seven copies of each book must be sent within the mentioned deadline which is mandatory. After this it is the decision of the five panel member jury to choose the final winner who will be bestowed with the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature.
The decision of the jury is final and binding to the selected authors. There are many factors that are considered while determining the winner of the ultimate prize. The jury scrutinizes every aspect of the book and makes sure that the originality cannot be questioned and each aspect of the book showcases the importance of the subject matter in the right way and emphasizes its significance in the historical literary society. Recently, there was an award ceremony for 2015 and Susan Pedersen was the winner of the award for her book of Guardians.
Thus when it comes to appreciation and acknowledgement of all that history has to offer, the Cundill Prize is the perfect platform to display and present it. All should thank to Peter Cundill, who found this in 2008 but it is sad that he died in January 24, 2011.
