The Fraenkel Prize in contemporary history for 1996, presented by the Wiener Library, London, has been awarded as follows: Jeffrey Herf (United States) and Marion Kaplan (US) shared the prize open to all entrants; Neil Gregor (United Kingdom) and Rainer Liedtke (Germany) shared the prize open to entrants who have yet to publish a major work.
Janus Pannonius University, Hungary The Pollack Gold Medal was awarded to Stephen Owen, honorary professor and dean of the faculty of environment and leisure at the Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education.
University of Wolverhampton British Deaf Academy Awards: Clive Mason, lecturer in sign language interpreting, received an award in recognition of his contribution to the deaf world as a presenter of the BBC programme for the deaf See, Hear. Ian Townsley, British sign language lecturer and subject co-ordinator, was nominated in acknowledgement of his widely respected writing and research into the history of work for the deaf.
John Smith, head of the environmental science section, was presented with a commemorative medal by the University of Lodz in Poland in recognition of his service with the Polish university's faculty of biology and earth sciences.