The William Best Hesseltine Award was established in 1965 in memory of historian and Wisconsin Historical Society past president William B. Hesseltine. Each year member readers vote from a list of the previous year's eligible writers and articles, selecting the best original article. Each award winner receives a $100 prize. Results of each year's voting are published in the winter issue of the magazine.
2007 - 2008 - Mark Speltz
for the article, "If Ordinary Walls Could Talk: Piecing Together the History of My House"
2001 - 2002 - Jim Draeger and Gerry Strey (tie) for Jim Drager's article, "Postal-Perfect: My Pursuit of Mail-Order Homes in Wisconsin" and Gerry Strey's article, "The 'Oleo Wars': Wisconsin's Fight over the Demon Spread."