William Sanders Scarborough Prize
Competition in 2024 for Books Published in 2023
Open to Members and Nonmembers of the Association
The Committee on Honors and Awards of the Modern Language Association is pleased to invite authors to compete for the twenty-third annual William Sanders Scarborough Prize. A distinguished man of letters and former university president, William Sanders Scarborough was the first African American member of the Modern Language Association. He exemplified the life of the mind combined with community service. Established in 2001, the prize is awarded annually for an outstanding scholarly study of black American literature or culture published the previous year. Books that are primarily translations will not be considered. The prize, which consists of a cash award and a certificate, will be presented to the winning author at the association's annual convention in January 2025.
Authors or publishers who wish to submit a work are asked to fill out a submission form.
- If you are an author submitting a work, please use this form.
- If you are a publisher submitting a work, please use this form.
Publishers may enter more than one title. Provided they meet eligibility requirements, books entered in this competition may also compete for one of the following prizes: the James Russell Lowell Prize, the MLA Prize for a First Book, or the MLA Prize for an Edited Collection. Entries may be sent at any time but must be received by 1 May 2024. The winning author will be contacted in September, and a public announcement will be made in early December. Because of the volume of submissions, we regret that we are unable to contact each entrant individually.
For further information, write the coordinator of book prizes (awards@mla.org).
Past winners of this prize