Annual Prizes with Competitions in 2024
William Riley Parker Prize
Definition: For an outstanding article in PMLA.
Eligibility: Articles published in the October 2023, January 2024, March 2024, and May 2024 issues of PMLA. Commissioned articles and special features are not eligible for this award. Authors must be current members of the MLA.
James Russell Lowell Prize
Deadline: 1 March 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding literary or linguistic study or a critical biography. Open to studies dealing with literary theory, media, cultural history, or interdisciplinary topics.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors must be current members of the MLA.
Copies required: Five print copies and electronic access.
MLA Prize for a First Book
Deadline: 1 March 2024.
Definition: Same as for James Russell Lowell Prize.
Eligibility: Book must have been published in 2023 as the first book-length publication of a current member of the MLA.
Copies required: Five print copies and electronic access.
Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize
Deadline: 1 May 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding book published in English or Spanish in the field of Latin American and Spanish literatures and cultures. Competing books should be broadly interpretive works that enhance understanding of the interrelations among literature, the other arts, and society.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Six print copies and electronic access.
This prize has been endowed by Mimi Singer.
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies
Deadline: 1 May 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding scholarly work in comparative literary studies involving at least two literatures.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors must be current members of the MLA.
Copies required: Four print copies and electronic access.
This prize has been endowed by the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Endowment Fund.
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies
Deadline: 1 May 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding scholarly work in French or francophone linguistic or literary studies.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors must be current members of the MLA.
Copies required: Four print copies and electronic access.
This prize has been endowed by the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Endowment Fund.
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Publication Award for a Manuscript in Italian Literary Studies
Deadline: 1 June 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding manuscript dealing with any aspect of the languages and literatures of Italy.
Eligibility: Manuscripts approved or ready for publication before award deadline; authors must be current members of the MLA residing in the United States or Canada.
Copies required: Four print copies and electronic access, plus contact and biographical information.
This prize has been endowed by the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Endowment Fund.
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for a Translation of a Literary Work
Deadline: 1 April 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding translation into English of a book-length literary work.
Eligibility: Translations published in 2023; translators need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Six print copies and electronic access, plus 12–15 pages of text in original language.
This prize has been endowed by the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Endowment Fund.
Note: Works submitted for this prize will also be automatically considered for the Lois Roth Award for a Translation of a Literary Work. Definitions and criteria are the same for both awards. Separate submissions are not required.
Lois Roth Award
Deadline: 1 April 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding translation into English of a book-length literary work.
Eligibility: Translations published in 2023; translators need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Six print copies and electronic access, plus 12–15 pages of text in original language.
This prize has been endowed by the Lois Roth Endowment.
Note: Works submitted for this prize will also automatically be considered for the Scaglione Prize for a Translation of a Literary Work. Definitions and criteria are the same for both awards. Separate submissions are not required.
William Sanders Scarborough Prize
Deadline: 1 May 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding scholarly study of black American literature or culture.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Four print copies and electronic access.
Matei Calinescu Prize
Deadline: 1 April 2024.
Definition: For a distinguished work of scholarship in twentieth- or twenty-first-century literature and thought. Preference will be given to a first or second work published by a nominee.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Six print copies and electronic access.
This prize has been endowed by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for African Studies
Deadline: 1 May 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding scholarly work in African or African diaspora literary or linguistic studies.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Four print copies and electronic access.
This prize has been endowed by the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Endowment Fund.
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for East Asian Studies
Deadline: 1 May 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding scholarly work in East Asian or East Asian diaspora literary or linguistic studies.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Four print copies and electronic access.
This prize has been endowed by the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Endowment Fund.
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Middle Eastern Studies
Deadline: 1 May 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding scholarly work in Middle Eastern or Middle Eastern diaspora literary or linguistic studies.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Four print copies and electronic access.
This prize has been endowed by the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Endowment Fund.
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for South Asian Studies
Deadline: 1 May 2024.
Definition: For an outstanding scholarly work in South Asian or South Asian diaspora literary or linguistic studies.
Eligibility: Books published in 2023; authors need not be members of the MLA.
Copies required: Four print copies and electronic access.
This prize has been endowed by the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Endowment Fund.