Since 2010, the magazine History rewards during a special evening works, exhibitions, films and shows in eight different categories honoring all the actors who bring History to life.
The juries of the eight prizes met to determine the winners. Among them, Victor Battaggiondeputy editor-in-chief of the editorial staff ofHistory, Joëlle Chevéhistorian of the Grand Siècle, Clément Dirieart critic, Franck Ferrandeditorial director ofHistory, Stéphanie Gatignolculture journalist, Yetty Hagendorfculture journalist, Marie Laperdrixhead of archives and history of the BNP Paribas group, Pierre-Louis Lenseldeputy editor in chief in charge of digitalHistory, Laurent Lemireliterary journalist (and contributor to Weekly Books), Isabelle Mityhistorian and Germanist, Laurent Nunezwriter and editor, Eric Pincaseditor-in-chief ofHistory, Christophe Sommetdirector of the Histoire TV channel and Brandon Warettjournalist.
The winners of the eight categories
- Harald Jähner was awarded the History Book Prize in the essay and biography category for his work The Time of Wolves, Germany and the Germans, 1945-1955 published by Actes Sud. This book documents an event little discussed by historians: the reconstruction of Germany after the fall of the IIIe Reich. The jury, chaired by Laurent Nunez et Laurent Lemire preferred this book to those of Colin Jones, The Fall of Robespierre, 24 hours in revolutionary Paris (Fayard), Jean-Luc Barre, De Gaulle a life (volume 1: “Nobody's Man, 1890–1944”) (Grasset), Charles-Éloi Vial, Marie Antoinette (Perrin) and Julian Jackson, The Pétain Trial (Threshold).
- Readers also made their voices heard by distinguishing their favorite novel among the three nominees; Joseph O’Connor, In my father's house (Editions Payot & Rivages), Lawrence Ellsworth, The Viscount and the Musketeers (Search Midi) and Caroline Mulder, Himmler's Nursery (Gallimard). It was ultimately the latter who won the Historia-BNP Paribas Readers' Prize. It follows the intersecting destinies of three characters during the last nine months of the Nazi regime.
- On the comics side, the jury chaired by Victor Battaggion decided to reward the work of José Luis Munuera et Kid Toussaint, The Race of the Century (Le Lombard) which looks back on the craziest marathon in the history of the Olympic Games which took place in 1904 in Saint-Louis in the United States. Also in the running for the competition, Dominique Bertail, Jean-David Morvan et Madeleine Riffaudrecently disappeared, for volume 3 of Madeleine, resistant (Dupuis) and Luca Blengino, David Goy et Antonio Palma pour The Speaker (Glénat).
- The Historia Prizes are not limited to literary works but also reward theatrical performances. The live performance prize was awarded to Florence Heuillard et Jean-Claude Baudouin pour Augustodunum, The Gates of Timeat the ancient theater of Autun in a tie with The Supplications of Julie Bertin, Jade Herbulot et Birgit Ensemble. The historical reconstruction at the Château de Fontainebleau of Napoleon's Farewells in his custody and the play of Jean-Philippe Daguerre, The Little Hairdresserwere also among the nominees.
- The Exhibition Prize was awarded to the Nantes History Museum for “Genghis Khan. How the Mongols changed the world”, dedicated to the history of this people and their sovereign which explains, beyond the clichés, how the Pax Mongolica can be considered today as the first globalization with unprecedented commercial consequences. Among the list of nominees we also found the Caen Museum of Fine Arts with “The Merchandise Show” and the Mucem with “Another History of the World”.
- After a global triumph at the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscars (where it won the statuette for Best Foreign Film), the feature film by Jonathan Glazer, The area of interest has won the History on Screen prize from Historia magazine. In competition with Dahomey of Mati Diop and the restored version of Napoleond’Abel Ganceit depicts the peaceful daily life of the family of the commander of Auschwitz living right next to the camp.
- Finally, the highly anticipated innovation prize and Grand Prix Historia was awarded to the project “BACK IN TIME” from Inria which aims to combine cryptography, history and artificial intelligence to unravel the mysteries of manuscripts or documents that have remained undeciphered for centuries. “La Bulle” in the sensory space at the Musée de la Marine and the immersive experience at the Musée d'Orsay, “An evening with the impressionists, Paris 1874”, also competed for the prize.
