Conquest Prize for Contribution to Holodomor Studies
The Conquest Prize for Contribution to Holodomor Studies is awarded on a biennial basis to the author of an outstanding article that contributes to a fuller understanding of the Holodomor. Nominated articles must have been published in English, in print or in an online publication, between January 20, 2025, and January 20, 2027, and can be submitted by the author, editor, publisher, or colleagues. A jury of eminent specialists is assembled to determine the winner of the $2500 CAD prize. The Conquest Prize honours historian Robert Conquest, author of the groundbreaking work The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine, which marked a watershed in the study of the Holodomor at the time of its publication in 1986.
ABOUT ROBERT CONQUEST
Published in 1986, Harvest of Sorrow marked a watershed in the study of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33. Dr. Conquest’s comprehensive treatment addressed the role of Communist ideology and its relationship to the peasantry, collectivization policy and implementation, the deportation of kulaks, issues of nationality and religion in the Soviet Union, and the role of Stalin in the Famine. Dr. Conquest described the failure of the West to respond to reports of the Famine and assigned culpability to Stalin and his regime for setting impossibly high grain requisitions, seizing foodstuffs, preventing the starving from seeking food elsewhere, and covering up the crime. Based on eyewitness testimonies, his analysis and conclusions were corroborated by Soviet archival materials that became accessible with the collapse of the USSR.
Harvest of Sorrow sparked debates in academic and political circles and ensured widespread awareness of the Holodomor. In a legacy marked by achievement, Harvest of Sorrow is certainly one of Robert Conquest’s greatest accomplishments.