Established in 1990 by Duke's Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), these awards are named for the noted scholar John Hope Franklin, the late professor emeritus of history at Duke University, in recognition of his lifetime accomplishments and his dedication to students and teaching. CDS makes these awards to undergraduates attending Triangle-area universities to help them conduct sustained work on summer-long documentary fieldwork projects.
Student applicants should demonstrate an interest in documentary studies and possess the talent and skills necessary to conduct an intensive documentary project. These skills may include oral history, photography, film/video, nonfiction or creative writing, or audio.
2025 Award Eligibility
Applicants were required to be registered undergraduate students at Duke University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Students graduating in May 2025 were still eligible to apply.
2025 Application
Student applicants were expected to demonstrate an interest in documentary studies and possess the talent and skills necessary to conduct an intensive documentary project. These skills could include oral history, photography, film/video, nonfiction or creative writing, or audio.
To apply, students submitted a two-page narrative proposal and a detailed budget to cdsundergrad@duke.edu by February 28, 2025.
Recipients
- 2025: Ezequiel Baltierra, Letar Jia, Jonathon Nguyen, Kulsoom Rizavi, Quaid Sutherland
- 2024: Andrew Cao, Artivista Karlin, Angelica Moreno, Maxwell Simbuwa, Huiyin Zhou
- 2023: Tessa Delgo, Miranda Gershoni, J'Sha Gift, Huiyin Zhou