Historian Barry Strauss Honored as 2025 Bradley Prize Winner

The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation announced Thursday that classicist, military, and naval historian and bestselling author Barry Strauss as the second 2025 Bradley Prize winner. 

Strauss, the Corliss Page Dean Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, will receive the award at the Bradley Prizes ceremony on May 29 in Washington, D.C. The award carries a $300,000 stipend.  

The Bradley Prize has been awarded for 21 years to individuals whose work demonstrates a commitment “to restore, strengthen, and protect the principles and institutions of American exceptionalism,” according to the foundation’s press release. 

Rick Graber, president of The Bradley Foundation, congratulated Strauss, saying: “Barry’s principled scholarship, defense of free speech in the academy, and advancement of informed citizenship through his teaching underscore his contributions to preserving freedom. His work deepens our understanding of Western civilization and strengthens the intellectual foundations of liberty. We are pleased to honor Barry with a Bradley Prize.” 

Strauss said he is “honored beyond words,” adding the foundation “has done so much to advance constitutional liberty and civic education in the roots of American exceptionalism.” 

In the press release, The Bradley Foundation described Strauss as a “recognized authority on leadership” and a specialist on ancient political and military leaders, including Caesar, Hannibal, and Alexander the Great. 

Strauss is also a series editor of Princeton’s “Turning Points in Ancient History” and the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, where he was the former chair of the Department of History and Professor of History and Classics. 

He hosts the podcast “ANTIQUITAS: Leaders and Legends of the Ancient World” and has appeared on The History Channel, Netflix, CNN, PBS, and The Discovery Channel. Strauss received Italy’s Lucio Colletti Journalism prize for literature, was named an honorary citizen of Salamis, Greece, and was named a member of the esteemed American Academy of Sciences and Letters. 

Strauss’ book, “The War that Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium” hit the top of Amazon’s bestseller list. His newest book, “Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World’s Mightiest Empire” is set to release in August. 

This year’s 2025 Bradley Prize winners, including Strauss and Christopher F. Rufo, were selected from a pool of 60 nominees. A third winner will be announced on March 25.  

Conservative activist-filmmaker-writer Rufo was announced as a 2025 Bradley Prize winner on Tuesday, as reported by The Daily Signal.