The Victorian Community History Awards are held annually to recognise the contributions made by Victorians in the preservation of the State's history, and to recognise excellence in historical research. The effect of the VCHA over the period from 1998 to the present has been the stimulation of community history, the lifting of standards and the fostering of diversity and originality.

History

The Victorian Community History Awards were established and sponsored in 1997 by Information Victoria. The judges have always been appointed by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, and among the first were Professor Weston Bate, Professor A. G. L. Shaw, and senior journalist at The Age, John Lahey. Funding was suspended in 2006 to provide additional funds for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. After 2010 Information Victoria Bookshop withdrew support for the program, but after a vigorous campaign by the RHSV for the continuance of the Awards, the Baillieu government accepted a submission from the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) to continue the program for a further four-year period. From 2011 the Awards were administered by the RHSV in partnership with PROV. In 2012, following consultation between the Public Record Office Victoria and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, award categories were slightly altered and renamed, as below:

Victorian Community History Awards winners, from 2012

Victorian Premier's History Award

History Publication Award

Special awards

Oral History Award (from 2019)

Local History – Small Publication / Small History Publication Award

Small Organisation History Project Award

Local History Project Award

Collaborative Community History Award

Multimedia History Award / Digital Storytelling Award

Historical / History Interpretation Award

History Article (Peer Reviewed) Award

Cultural / Community Diversity Award

Centenary of World War 1 Award (2015–2018)

Young Historians Award (15–18 years)

Victorian Community History Awards winners, 1998 to 2011

===Victorian Community History Awards - Overall Winner ===

Best Community Research, Registers and Records

Best Collaborative / Community Work

Best Print / Publication - Commercial

Best Print / Publication - Self or Community Publication

Best Print / Publication

In 2011 the Best Print / Publication category was divided into Best Commercial Publication and Best Self or Community Publication. See above.

Best Walk / Tour

Best Exhibit or Multimedia

Best Audio-Visual / Multimedia

In 2011 Best Exhibit and Best Audio-Visual / Multimedia were combined as a category. See above.

Best Exhibit / Display

In 2011 Best Exhibit and Best Audio-Visual / Multimedia were combined as a category. See above.

Special awards