Wayland D. Hand Prize
The Wayland D. Hand Prize is an award given by the History and Folklore section of the American Folklore Society for the best book combining historical and folkloristic methods and materials. The biennial prize honors the eminent folklorist Wayland D. Hand, a former president of the American Folklore Society who in his teaching and scholarship encouraged historical methodology in folklore research.
The prize was established in 1991 by the journal The Folklore Historian, in association with the History and Folklore section of the American Folklore Society, and was originally awarded to the best essay published in The Folklore Historian. The first prize was presented in October 1992 and has since been awarded every other year at the annual meeting of the American Folklore Society. In 2005, the prize was changed to be awarded to "an outstanding book-length publication that combines historical and folkloristic perspectives" and was first presented as a book prize in 2006. A work offered for consideration can be an authored book, edited volume, reference work, or exhibition catalog published in the previous two years. Occasionally the prize is shared between two winners and Honorable Mentions can also be listed.
Since 1990. the History and Folklore section of the American Folklore Society has also sponsored the Richard Reuss Prize for Students of Folklore and History, a biennial award honoring Richard Reuss, founding editor of The Folklore Historian and a leading chronicler of folklore studies.
The Israeli historian Guy Beiner is the only person to date to have won the Wayland D. Hand Prize twice: in 2008 for his book ' and in 2020 for his book ', both titles also won a number of other prizes relating to history and folklore.