Initiated in 1980 and awarded for the best historical article in the past year for a “pre-500 B.C.” topic.
Note: Up to and including 2008, the Charles Grant Prize included the entire B.C. period. In 2009 the Phil Barker Prize was introduced to cover the period 500-1BC.
| Year | Winner | Article | Slingshot Issue |
| 2025 | Steven Neate | Byblos, Amurru and the Apiru | 359 |
| 2024 | John Hogan | Slings and Slingers | |
| 2023 | Richard Andrews | Galloping Horse and Bounding Chariot – A Look at Phillistine Chariots | |
| 2017 | Ian Lowell | Rein-Force (Rein-Bow Warriors) | 309 |
| 2012 | Alastair MacBeath | Transjordan Tales | 284 onwards |
| 2011 | Ian Lowell | Kadesh from Egyptian and Hittite records | 275 |
| 2010 | Alastair MacBeath | Mesopotamian Warfare Notes | |
| 2009 | Alastair MacBeath | Mesopotamian Warfare Notes | |
| 2008 | Alastair MacBeath & David Karunanithy | Mesopotamian Warfare Notes/Macedonian articles | |
| 2006 | David Karunanithy | Macedonian & Hellenistic Battle Standards | |
| 2005 | Alan Colquhoun | Battle of the Hydaspes | |
| 2004 | Alan Patrick | Zulis versus Carthaginians in Africa | |
| 2003 | Luke Ueda-Sarson | The Maccabean Army | |
| 2002 | Stewart Hey | Non-Developments in the Roman Legion – A Heresy | |
| 2001 | Karl Heinz Ranitzsch | Chinese Chariot Warfare | |
| 2000 | Richard Andrews | With the Bow, Let us Win Cows: Wargaming with Vedic Indians | |
| 1999 | Martin Matthews | Cannae Refought – 3 Times! | |
| 1998 | David Edwards | The Other End | |
| 1997 | Adrian Nayler | The Coming Forth of the Archers | |
| 1996 | Adrian Goldsworthy | Roman Strategic Thought and Practice – 100BC – 200AD | |
| 1995 | Kenneth R Hayes Jr & David Letts | Evolution of Roman Republican Army/Cannae & Collecting Carthaginians | |
| 1994 | Ian Lowell | Taking the Bisque | |
| 1993 | Philip Sabin | Phalanx | |
| 1992 | Adrian Nayler | The Greek for Wedge | |
| 1991 | Richard Lockwood | On Hypaspists | |
| 1990 | Karl Heinz Ranitzsch | Teutonic Strategy | |
| 1989 | Andy Grainger | A Defeated Race | |
| 1988 | Andrew Parrock | Conquer or Die | |
| 1987 | Karl Heinz Ranitzsch | Junkelmann’s Legionaries | |
| 1986 | David Edwards | A Perspective on Spartacus | |
| 1985 | Bramwell Adams | Naval Battles of the Peloponnesian War | |
| 1984 | Dean Lush | Greek Tactical Developments in the early 4th Century BC | |
| 1983 | Ian Lowell | Oh! Chariots! | |
| 1982 | Marco Severino | The Ancient Ligurians | |
| 1981 | David Halligan | The Greeks at War | |
| 1980 | Tim Sutton | The Armies of Tiglaith-Pileser III of Assyria |