The John M. Murrin Essay Prize is awarded for the best article published in Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal each year. Murrin, an early American historian who spent most of his career at Princeton University, was a dedicated and stalwart member of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies community from its founding. The prize is awarded to honor his mastery of the essay form. Each year, the winner is notified in late spring and announced at the MCEAS final seminar in May.
Recent winners include Zachary M. Bennett, for his article, "'Canoes of Great Swiftness': Rivercraft and War in the Northeast," which appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of Early American Studies, and Erin Kramer, for her article “‘That she shall forever be banished from this country’: Alcohol, Sovereignty, and Social Segregation in New Netherland,” which appeared in the Winter 2022 issue.
A list of all past winners can be viewed on the EAS Miscellany website, the digital companion to the EAS journal.