“David McCullough’s books is a real bulls eye with the subject of the Wright brothers,” said Ron Kaplan, NAHF enshrinement director.
A six judge panel score the work on a point system in seven categories, including historical accuracy, creativity and innovation, and long-term impact to preserve aviation history, he said.
The competition may judge other “any and all projects that people believe met the criteria,” including films, exhibits, books, and photos, among other possibilities, he said.
McCullough’s book spurred renewed interest in the Wright brothers. The historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner visited Wright State University in April to talk about the tome, and an HBO television mini-series based on the book is in the works. The National Park Service has reported a bump in attendance at Wright brothers sites around the Dayton region since the book’s publication last year.
The award is named after aviation business partners Harry Combs and John Gates. Combs, a Hall of of Fame enshrinee who died in 2003, started it as part of a $1.3 million gift to the NAHF. Combs stipulated an award support aviation history research and preservation, the Hall of Fame said.
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