Papers deemed worthy of one of the prizes available for presentations at the annual conference will be published in the new CCS - IHSA electronic journal. Papers can be submitted for publication without a need to be in contention for one of the various prize topics and all will be subject to peer review before being accepted for publication. All new journal articles will be available here along with scanned copies of previous years' printed journals.

The five annual prizes are as follows:

• Church of Ireland Historical Society Prize - 250euro
• Irish Economic and Social History Society Prize - 200euro
• Military Heritage Annual Award - 350euro
• Robert Dudley Edwards Prize - 250euro
• Saothar Prize for Irish Labour History - 250euro

2010 Conference Prize Winners:

• The Robert Dudley Edwards Prize for best undergraduate paper: Helen Esther Luettgen (UCC)
• Military Heritage Annual Award: Paul Maguire (St Patrick’s, Drumcondra)
• Irish Economic and Social History Prize: Gordon Rees (QUB)
• Church of Ireland Historical Society Prize: Suzanne Forbes (UCD)

The Comhaltas na gCumann Staıre would like to thank all those who submitted their papers and would also like to express its sincere gratitude to the academic judges who took time out from their busy schedules to assess the applications. Finally the Association would like to express its deep appreciation to the Military Heritage Trust, the Irish Economic and Social History Society, and the Church of Ireland Historical Society for their generosity and encouragement of student history.

Church of Ireland Historical Society Prize

The Church of Ireland Historical Society will award a prize of 250 euro to the student whose paper, read at the CCS - IHSA Annual Conference, is deemed outstanding by a panel of judges, and which, through new research, adds to our knowledge of the history of the Church of Ireland. Papers should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words long, inclusive of footnotes, and should be clearly marked with the applicant's name, college affiliation, contact details, and the words 'Church of Ireland Historical Society Prize'. They should be submitted by the 1st July and sent by email attachment (in Word) to Professor David Hayton, Queen’s University Belfast, at d.hayton@qub.ac.uk. The papers will be assessed by a panel of judges and the result will be announced in mid-October. The prize will be presented at the following year's Conference, and the winner will be invited to present a paper at one of the biannual meetings of the Society. The judges reserve the right not to award the prize if no paper meets the required standard.

Irish Economic and Social History Society Prize

The Irish Economic and Social History Society will award a prize of 200 euro to the student whose paper, presented at the CCS - IHSA Annual Conference, is deemed outstanding by a panel of judges, and which, through new research, adds to our knowledge of the economic and/or social history of Ireland. Papers should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words long, inclusive of footnotes, and should be clearly marked with the applicant's name, college affiliation, contact details, and the words 'Irish Economic and Social History Society Prize'. They should be submitted by the 1st July and sent by email attachment (in Word) to Deirdre.McMahon@mic.ul.ie. The papers will be assessed by a panel of judges and the result will be announced in mid-October. The prize will be presented at the following year's Conference. The judges reserve the right not to award the prize if no paper meets the required standard.

Military Heritage Annual Award

The Military Heritage of Ireland Trust Ltd will give this award of 350 euro to the student whose paper, presented at the CCS - IHSA Annual Conference, is deemed outstanding by a panel of judges, and which, through new research, adds to our knowledge of the military heritage of Ireland. Papers should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words long, inclusive of footnotes, and should be clearly marked with the applicant's name, college affiliation, contact details, and the words 'Military Heritage Prize'. They should be submitted by the 1st July and sent by email attachment (in Word) to Dr Deirdre McMahon, Senior Treasurer of the Association at the following email address: Deirdre.McMahon@mic.ul.ie. The papers will be assessed by a panel of judges and the result will be announced in mid-October. The prize will be presented at the following year's Conference. The judges reserve the right not to award the prize if no essay meets the required standard. In assessing the papers the Trust will be cognisant of the worldwide nature of Irish military heritage and the range of military operations embraced by that term. It is not merely a record of individual or group activity, of the success and failure of military leadership in battlefields, campaigns and wars. It also includes service in peace support operations and in the maintenance of law and order in aid to the civil power duties. Furthermore the impact of such activities on the economic, political or social life of the communities of the participants may be relevant to the paper. Consequently submitted papers must concentrate on one or more of these aspects of our military heritage within this broad definition and, through their research and written presentation, expand our knowledge of the history of the Irish soldier. In Memory of Major Charlie Trainor MM.

Robert Dudley Edwards Prize

A prize of 250 euro will be awarded for the undergraduate paper, presented at the CCS - IHSA Annual Conference, which is deemed outstanding by the panel of judges. The prize is in memory of Robert Dudley Edwards, former Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin, who was for many years the Senior Archivist of the CCS - IHSA to which he gave his constant support and advice. Papers should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words long, inclusive of footnotes, and should be clearly marked with the applicant's name, college affiliation, contact details, and the words 'Robert Dudley Edwards Prize'. They should be submitted by 1st July and sent by email attachment (in Word) to Dr Deirdre McMahon, Senior Treasurer of the Association at Deirdre.McMahon@mic.ul.ie. The papers will be assessed by a panel of judges and the result will be announced in mid-October. The prize will be presented at the following year's Conference. The judges reserve the right not to award the prize if no paper meets the required standard.

Saothar Prize for Irish Labour History

The Irish Labour History Society will award the Saothar prize of 250 euro to the student whose paper, presented at the CCS - IHSA Annual Conference, is deemed outstanding by a panel of judges, and which, through new research, adds to our knowledge of labour history. Papers should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words long, inclusive of footnotes, and should be clearly marked with the applicant's name, college affiliation, contact details, and the words 'Saothar Prize for Labour History'. Applicants should consult the ‘Guidelines for Contributors’ published in Saothar volume 29 (2004). They should be submitted by 1 July 2011 and sent by email attachment (in Word) to: John.Cunningham@nuigalway.ie The papers will be assessed by a panel of judges and the result will be announced in mid-October. The prize will be presented at the following year's Conference and the paper will be considered for publication in the journal Saothar. The judges reserve the right not to award the prize if no paper meets the required standard.