The 2019 University of Illinois Press and the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) First Book Prize

It’s that time of year again! The University of Illinois Press and the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) are pleased to continue the annual competition for the best dissertation or first book manuscript by a single author in the field of women’s and gender studies. Applicants must be National Women’s Studies Association members. The Press and NWSA seek nonfiction manuscripts that exemplify cutting-edge intersectional feminist scholarship, whether the area of focus is historical or contemporary. The competition is open to scholars from all disciplinary backgrounds, but the sponsoring organizations especially encourage work that speaks effectively across disciplines, and projects that offer new perspectives on concerns central to the field of women’s and gender studies.

Possible topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Activism
Coloniality, postcoloniality and neo-imperialism
Cultural production (media, film, music, literature)
Feminist knowledge production
Feminist pedagogy
Feminist politics
Feminist science and environmental studies
Feminist theory
Gender and disability
Gender and globalization
Gender and labor practices
Gender and militarism
Gender and queer sexuality
Gender and violence
Gendered experiences of people of color
Girls studies
Global and transnational feminisms
Institutions and public policies
Intersectionality
Theories and practices of coalition
Transgender studies
Women of color feminisms

If a winner of the competition is selected, he or she will receive a publication contract with the University of Illinois Press and a $1,000 advance. Runners up may also be considered for publication with the University of Illinois Press. Submitted dissertations must have been completed and defended within the three years prior to submission. All submissions must be must be electronically submitted and timestamped by 11:59 pm (central time) on June 1 and should include the following materials via email:

Current NWSA individual membership
Cover letter (be sure to indicate if any material from the manuscript has been previously published)
C.V.
Proposal, including a 4-5 page overview of the scope of the project and analysis of competing titles
Complete manuscript, at least 150 double spaced pages, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, saved as a PDF
Submit materials as attachments to a single email to Dawn Durante. In the email subject line, include “Last name_Year NWSA/UIP First Book Prize Submission.”

Cover letters should mention the competition and indicate if any material from the manuscript has been previously published. All submissions must be exclusive submissions to the University of Illinois Press for the duration of the contest, and finalists will be notified by the end of July. Please visit https://www.nwsa.org/nwsauipbookprize for more information.

Please direct all questions and submissions to:

Dawn Durante

Senior Acquisitions Editor

University of Illinois Press

durante9@illinois.edu