The Runciman Award: history and aims

The Runciman Award is awarded annually by the Anglo-Hellenic League to a work wholly or mainly about some aspect of Greece or the world of Hellenism, published in English in its first edition in the previous year.

The Award is named in honour of the late Sir Steven Runciman, eminent Byzantine scholar and the League’s longest serving Chairman.

The award was first conceived in 1983 during Lord Jellicoe’s chairmanship of the Anglo-Hellenic League and was presented for the first time in 1986. It was generously sponsored by the National Bank of Greece from 1999 to 2016. In the past, the award has received funding from private sources, business and institutions with an interest in the promotion of Greek culture, including the Onassis Foundation. The Anglo-Hellenic League, which administers the Award, is indebted to the Bank for its support and generous sponsorship, and for its commitment to research, scholarship and dissemination of knowledge in the field of the arts.

The aim of the Award is to stimulate interest in Greek history and culture from Ancient Greek times, through Byzantium and the War of Independence to the present day; to reward and encourage good and accessible writing, of which Sir Steven’s works are an example; and to promote wider knowledge and understanding of Greece’s contribution to civilization and values.

Works covering all aspects of Greek history and culture will be considered, including history, literary studies, biography, travel and topography, the arts, architecture, archaeology, the environment, social and political sciences or current affairs. Works of fiction, poetry or drama, and translations from Greek literature are also eligible.