Young Numismatist Literary Awards

Celebrating writing from talented young numismatists.

The American Numismatic Association presents literary awards to outstanding young writers. Each category is named in honor of a Whitman author dedicated to educating the next generation of numismatists. YN Literary Awards are announced annually at Summer Seminar.

Whitman Brands has partnered with the ANA to offer significant prizes to worthy recipients. Award categories are named after distinguished Whitman authors.

Submission Criteria 

Send submissions to Assistant Editor Sydney Stewart (sstewart@money.org) by no later than April 1.

  • Provide the author’s ANA member number, category of submission, and contact information (email, phone number, and address) on the first page.
  • Include the author’s name and award category in the file name.
  • Submissions created using AI are not permitted. All submissions will be reviewed for AI-generated content.
  • Submissions are accepted in Microsoft Word or PDF format only.
  • Up to three submissions per author are allowed.
  • Submissions previously published in The Numismatist are not accepted.

Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges, including Bill ­Fivaz, Mitch Sanders and Ken Bressett.

Bill Fivaz Young Numismatist Literary Award: Ages 8-12

Article should display basic knowledge of a numismatic topic. Creativity and original conclusions are encouraged.

Suggested length: 450-900 words

Q. David Bowers Young Numis­matist Literary Award: Ages 13-17

Article should display advanced knowledge of a numismatic topic. Logically presented facts and original conclusions are encouraged. A bibliographic list of sources is recommended but not required.

Suggested length: 900-1,800 words

Kenneth E. Bressett Young Numismatist Literary Award: Ages 18-22

Article should display in-depth knowledge of a numismatic topic. Logically presented facts and original conclusions are required, as is a bibliographic list of sources. Inclusion of charts, graphs, tables or other illustrations is encouraged.   

Suggested length: 1,800-3,600 words

Award Structure

The following prizes will be awarded in each category:

  • First Place: Plaque and $500 cash prize, plus a $500 book voucher that can be used to purchase numismatic references produced by Whitman Brands.
  • Second Place: Certificate, plus a $200 book voucher.
  • Third Place: Certificate, plus a $100 book voucher.

Note: Prize recipients outside the continental United States will be required to cover overseas shipping costs for numismatic references.

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