ESSE Book Awards 2020

For books first published in 2018 and 2019

ESSE Book Award (Category A): A book prize of €1,500 will be awarded by ESSE in 2020, coinciding with the 15th Conference to be held in Lyon, France, for books first published in 2018 or 2019 in each of the following fields:

  1. English language and linguistics
  2. Literatures in the English language
  3. Cultural and area studies in English

ESSE Book Award for Junior Scholars (Category B): A further book prize of €1,500 will be awarded by ESSE in 2020 to a junior scholar for a first research book published in English in each of the three fields mentioned above, provided that publication was in 2018 or 2019.

The deadline for submission of books is 1 February 2020. The winners will be announced on the occasion of ESSE-15 in Lyon, France.

The requirements are as follows:

  • Books eligible for prizes will be those published in English; they must have an ISBN. PhD dissertations published in book format, with an ISBN, are accepted. Editions of collected essays will NOT qualify for these prizes. The books must be works of scholarly research in the field of English studies. Undergraduate textbooks will not be considered.
  • Any number of books may be submitted by the same author (provided that they are published within the admitted period of time), except for category B, since junior scholars are expected to submit their first research book published in English.
  • All books will be evaluated strictly on the basis of their academic value, without regard to publisher, country of publication or nationality of the author.
  • Authors must be members of national associations affiliated to ESSE (according to the official membership list submitted in November 2019).
  • Three copies (printed or electronic format) must be provided of each book submitted for consideration. No book will be considered for an award unless three copies have been received. The copies will not be returned.
  • Candidates must write an email to the President of ESSE, Prof. Andreas H Jucker esse.president@outlook.com, informing him of their intention to participate, declaring their affiliation to a national association which is a member of ESSE, giving their university address, mentioning the field to which their book belongs, and indicating whether the copies of the book will be sent by the author or by the publisher. Candidates for the Category B award must also include a brief CV which must contain at least their date of birth, university affiliation, main field(s) of research and previous publications.

The three review copies must be sent to the address below by 1 FEBRUARY 2020. The deadline must be observed.

Books must be sent to the following address:
Prof. Dr. Andreas H. Jucker
President of ESSE
Department of English
University of Zurich
Plattenstrasse 47
CH-8032 Zurich

The selection committees (three members each) will be appointed by the Board of ESSE in each of the three fields and for the two categories named above. Their composition will not be made public. Board members shall not pass on any information concerning this matter to the members of their associations. The Executive of ESSE will replace any members who are unable to carry out their duties. The Chairs of the selection committees will report progress regularly to the President of ESSE. The members of the committees can be Board members or ESSE members invited by the Board to do the selection job. The members of the committees and the ESSE Board are excluded from submitting their own books.

Two months before the opening of the conference a shortlist of a maximum of five books in each field and category will be announced on the ESSE Website. Board members are asked to report to the President any misgivings that they may have about the propriety of awarding a prize to any book on the shortlist, with the President passing on such comments to the committees if he deems it appropriate. The committees will recommend the awards to the Board, or they may recommend that no award be made in a particular field. Each committee can also recommend the conferment of one honourable mention. The President will report to the Board whether the work of the committees has been satisfactorily conducted. The Board may then approve the recommendations of the committees or they may reject a recommendation, in which case no award will be given in that field or category. Winners will be informed immediately in confidence, and the awards will be publicly announced during the opening ceremony of ESSE-15 conference, in Lyon, France.