Dr. Harold and Dorothy Seymour Medal (Seymour Medal)

Seymour Medal

Annual award given by SABR to the best book on baseball history or biography published in the previous calendar year.

Baseball historyBiographySports nonfictionHistory

Established: 1996
Organizer: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)
Category: Nonfiction and Documentary Literature
Selection Method: Selection
Target: Professional
Frequency: 1 per year
Status: Active

Description

The Dr. Harold and Dorothy Seymour Medal (commonly known as Seymour Medal) is an award given annually by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), selecting the best work among books on baseball history or biography published in the previous calendar year. Established in 1996, winners receive a bronze medal approximately 3.5 inches in diameter (circumference 3 1/2 inches). It was formerly awarded at the SABR annual convention, but currently it is often announced mainly at the banquet of the NINE Spring Training conference (Tempe, Arizona). Winner lists and finalists are published on SABR's official website.

Prize

Main Prize: Bronze medal (approximately 3.5 inches in diameter) and recognition by SABR

Public recognition by SABR (website, press releases)
Recognition at NINE Spring Training conference (announcement at banquet)

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Nomination and preliminary selection (finalists selection)	SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) selection committee	—	Finalists are listed on SABR's annual lists or official pages
Final selection (winner determination)	Final decision by SABR selection committee	—	Winners are mainly announced at the NINE Spring Training conference banquet and notified on SABR's official website

Nomination and preliminary selection (finalists selection)

Judges SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) selection committee

Announcement Finalists are listed on SABR's annual lists or official pages

Final selection (winner determination)

Judges Final decision by SABR selection committee

Announcement Winners are mainly announced at the NINE Spring Training conference banquet and notified on SABR's official website

Criteria

Must be a baseball history or biography published in the previous calendar year
Utilization of sources and rigor of research
Quality of writing and editing (readability, structure)
Degree of academic/historical contribution and originality

Application Tips

Dos

Confirm that the target book was published in the previous calendar year
Carefully cite sources and research origins (enrich footnotes and references)
Thoroughly edit and proofread, and organize for readability
Clearly state the originality and academic contribution of the research in the preface or introduction
Publishers or authors should provide samples if necessary, following SABR's publication methods

Don''ts

Make sources ambiguous or rely on unverified claims
Publish in a state with insufficient editing or proofreading
Exaggerate or distort sources or historical facts
Ignore application guidelines or SABR's instructions

From Judges

Emphasis on rigorous research based on sources and the ability to convey results in clear writing
Explicitly state the relationship to existing research and the novelty/contribution of this book
Enriching footnotes and references to enhance verifiability is evaluated in the judging